If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going
by debruk34
Summary: Or: How the Internet Helped Ruin My Marriage and Gave Me a New Life. Learn how Bella's marriage fell apart, how her friends helped her, how her husband reacted, and how she found her second chance at lasting love.
1. Introduction

A/N: If you're waiting for updates on my other stories, they may or may not come. Real life has changed my focus and I'm just getting back into writing again. The ideas I had for my other stories are long gone and unless my muse decides to grace me with her presence again, updates on those stories are unlikely.

This story will not have a standard chapter length and may have shorter chapters than I usually write. I don't believe it will be an extremely long story; but characters sometimes have a mind of their own and take us on an unexpected journey. Details of characters are going to be vague and will come out as the story progresses. The first chapter is especially short and the following chapters will definitely be longer than this one!

This is rated M for language and subject matter. Do not read if you are not at a legal age in your country to do so.

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or Twilight.

**ENJOY!**

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**If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going**

_**Or How the Internet Helped Ruin My Marriage and Gave Me a New Life**_

_There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. ~ C.S. Lewis_

**Introduction**

I reread the email once more. _"I'm counting the minutes until I can fall asleep, naked and satiated, in your arms again. The conference can't come soon enough my love."_ I sighed heavily before I clicked send and closed my laptop. I checked my phone to make sure it was off before I left my home office.

I walked up the stairs dragging my fingertips lightly across the railing as I got lost in my thoughts. I finished packing the open suitcase on the closet floor, taking care to fold the dress clothes I had meticulously ironed before I worked my thirty-six hour shift. Robotically I went through my nighttime routine to get ready for bed. I removed my engagement ring and wedding band before applying lotion. When I finished, I picked up the rings in my right hand and rubbed the thumb of my left hand across my empty ring finger. I looked between my rings and my left hand. I quietly walked into the master bedroom and over to the dresser and placed my rings in my jewelry box. I turned around and watched the rise and fall of the bed sheets stretched across my sleeping husband. He didn't stir as I slipped under the covers. Exhausted from being awake for nearly forty hours, I quickly fell asleep.

Light pressure on my lips brought me out of my dreamless sleep. A hand brushed the hair off my forehead and I heard him whisper, "Don't open your eyes. You've only been home a couple of hours. I set your alarm so you're not late and I made the arrangements for your cab. I'll miss you. I love you. Enjoy your time off work. I'll see you in a week." I barely grunted out, "Bye" before one more kiss brushed across my lips and then he was gone.

I hit the alarm with more force than was necessary after it started to beep. I groaned when I noticed that the alarm had been set for an hour later than I needed it. I rushed through my shower and got ready to leave as quickly as I could. As I slipped on my heels, I wondered if I was going to regret putting them on when I would inevitably have to run to avoid being late. A glance in the mirror confirmed that the pain would be worth it for the reception I would get when I arrived. I grabbed the bags from where I had left them in my closet, found my purse, and took a deep breath before I walked out the front door and got into the cab that was waiting for me.

As the cab drove away, I watched in the rear view mirror as my house got smaller and felt the nervousness in my stomach grow exponentially.


	2. Chapter One

_Sometimes we think holding on makes us strong. But sometimes it is letting go. ~ Hermann Hesse_

**Chapter One**

After fighting through the heavy city traffic, the cab arrived outside the building about fifteen minutes later than I had planned. I picked up the bags from the seat next to me and walked through the sliding doors and went directly to the concierge.

A young blonde woman dressed in a black suit with a red scarf greeted me with a friendly smile. "Good evening, ma'am. Do you have a reservation?"

I tried to return her smile but found it difficult. I nodded and replied, "I'm running a bit late and I'm sure I'm the last to arrive. The reservation is under Whitlock."

The woman scanned the chart in front of her and said, "Of course. Your table is in the Sunset Lounge tonight. It is on the top floor and the elevator is down the hall to your right. Would you like me to lead you to the elevator?"

I shook my head and said, "I know where it is. Thank you." I walked slowly down the dimly lit hallway toward the elevator. My hand shook slightly as I reached forward to press the button. The doors opened and I stepped inside the mahogany paneled box. I chose the twentieth floor and closed my eyes as the elevator ascended. I took deep breaths in anticipation of what waited for me in the lounge. A ding alerted me that I had arrived at the top floor. I opened my eyes, smoothed down the invisible wrinkles on my blouse and skirt and walked toward the head of blonde hair that I recognized from across the room.

A waiter stood in front of the high-backed leather booth that allowed for complete privacy from all other guests of the lounge. "Would you care for another Rob Roy while you wait?" he asked as he removed the empty glasses from the table.

I slid gracefully into the booth and said, "We'll have a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, three empty highball glasses, and small carafe of water. We'll also have an order of the flatbread with duck confit, an order of the ahi tuna, and an order of the risotto cakes."

Once he realized there were no additions to my request, the waiter nodded in reply and left our table. I looked across the table and said, "I heard Rob Roy and figured you wouldn't mind continuing with some good Scotch for tonight. I know I'm in need of something strong."

"First, let me say that you look incredible tonight. I knew those heels would look perfect on you. And second, how the fuck could you send us those emails and then turn off your phone?" I attempted to answer the question that came from my right, but before I could utter a sound, another voice sounded from across from me.

"We've tried to call you all day at every chance we got and the only thing that stopped us from knocking down your door was that we were stuck in the middle of closing arguments for our latest case. We read those emails and are in shock. What's going on Bella?" the blonde asked.

I leaned my head back against the cool leather of the booth and stared at the ceiling for a moment. I then stared at my two friends before I opened my briefcase that I had brought with me and pulled out two envelopes. I placed one in front of each of them and said, "There's a retainer for each of you in those envelopes. I don't know enough about law, or anything about divorce, but I do know that I'm going to need the best representation possible. I don't think it'll go to court; but he did sign a prenuptial agreement and I know he'll try to fight it. There were some time limits that have passed and I'll need you two to help me prove that this all started before then. Rose, you specialize in contract law and Alice, you're the best litigator in the city. Even if you decide not to be my lawyers, you're my best friends. I need you two."

Alice and Rosalie glanced at each other and they both rolled their eyes before they turned back to face me.

"You didn't even need to ask us. Of course we'll handle everything for you. When did he start the affair? How did you discover it? Did you kick him to the curb yet? Does he even know you know? How could he do this to you? Start at the beginning and don't leave out any details," Alice said rapidly.

"The beginning of this affair or the beginning of when our problems started? Or the beginning when we were still dating and I should have suspected something and instead believed his lies? I trusted him time and time again and it makes me wonder if I ever knew him at all," I let out a shaky laugh that was laced with stress.

Rosalie put her hand on top of mine and answered, "We've been with you from the day you met him. If it started when you were dating, than we all missed it. Why the hell didn't you come to us when you first knew something was wrong? You two always seemed so happy, so perfect. How long have you been hiding from us?" Her eyes and tone were soft and not condescending.

A tear trailed down my face as I thought about her question. How long had I been hiding our problems? How many times did I try to convince myself that I was as happy as my outer appearance? I brushed the tear off my cheek when the waiter appeared with the bottle of Scotch, glasses, and water. Alice poured three glasses half full and added a splash of water to her glass and Rosalie's. Before she could put any in my glass, I had upended it. The liquor burned slightly and I poured a second serving before I answered their questions.

Alice and Rosalie had produced legal pads and pens from somewhere in the time it took to compose myself.

"He left this morning for his conference. He has no idea that I know anything's wrong. That's why I'm going to need your help this week. I want to screw him over when he gets back from screwing around on me," I stated bitterly.

"You seem rather calm about all of this. I was expecting you to be a wreck tonight when you got here, if you came at all," Rosalie stated.

I shrugged and replied, "I've gone through all the emotions over the years and I cried a few nights ago and last night; but really, I'm just done with all of it. I'm just done with him."

I paused to let out a heavy sigh before I continued. "So you want me to start at the beginning, huh? The first problem we ever had, was maybe six months after we started dating. I was studying for the MCATs in his room in the frat house and I used his computer to do some research when he had a night class. He had left his email account open and I found this email." I paused to remove a pile of papers from my briefcase. I placed the top sheet of paper on the table between my friends.

Alice picked it up and scanned it before stuttering, "Why do you have…what made you…this is from thirteen years ago."

I took a sip of my drink before I replied, "At the time, I forwarded it to my school email account and it stayed in the saved email file for years. Before the account closed, I transferred the file to a new account in case I would ever need any of it. I never forgot it was there, especially when I started to suspect that something else was happening."

"Why didn't you break up with him then? I know if I would have found this when Emmett and I were dating, there's no way I would have stuck around even to hear his excuses," Rosalie said after she had read the email.

_Hey Baby,_

_I was in town last night and I came by looking for you. The last time you called me, you said your girl was just okay in bed and I thought you might like a night with someone who you know is great. You have my number if you ever want to fuck like we did last time. _

_~Tanya_

_Sexy Tanya,_

_Damn, sorry I missed you. I could use a good fuck from you. My new girl is sweet, but she just doesn't do it for me like you did last time. I wish I could call you without her finding out; but I like Bella a lot and I think I wanna see where it can go with her. If it doesn't last, I have your number._

_~Bye for now_

I rubbed my empty ring finger and said, "I was going to walk away. I tried to break up with him that night."

_I sat on the couch that faced the door. I glanced up from my book and notes every few minutes waiting for the door to open. I was too mad to study; but I kept trying. Twenty minutes after his class ended I heard voices in the hallway. _

"_Ohhh, it looks like someone got a love note! You gonna get some tonight?" I heard his friend Tyler tease._

"_I hope so!" he replied. I listened as the email I had printed, folded in half, and taped to the outside of the door was removed. My heart started to race in anticipation for his reaction. _

"_What's it say man?" Tyler asked._

_He shouted, "Shit!" and I heard the keys jingle in the lock._

_The door flew open and I saw Tyler backing down the hall when he noticed the glare I was directing at the man in the doorway. He shut the door and walked toward me clutching the note in his hand. I closed my book and notes as I continued to glare at him silently. I watched as the emotions flew across his face; first shock, then anger, then panic, and finally sadness._

_He clutched the paper and sunk into the desk chair that faced the couch. He leaned forward and gripped his hair as he stared at the floor. I waited for him to say something first. A couple of minutes passed before he looked up and said simply, "I guess you want me to take you back to your apartment." _

_I nodded and said, "That would be great since the busses stopped running an hour ago and I don't feel like walking that far in the rain." I put all my things in my backpack and before I could stand up, he had dropped to his knees in front of me and started to beg._

"_Please don't break up with me Bella. She never meant anything to me. She was just someone I would fuck when she came to visit her brother Joel. She had just contacted me that day out of the blue; I hadn't heard from her in a long time and then she emailed me. Her brother graduated in the winter so I'll probably never see her again. It's just sex with her; it doesn't mean anything," he said desperately. _

_My eyes narrowed at his explanation. "Did you even listen to what you said? Obviously you'd heard from her since you called her and talked to her about me. You'll probably never see her again. Probably?! If you didn't want to see her again, you'd have said I'll never see her again. And the sex doesn't mean anything? How about using the word didn't instead? Saying doesn't makes it sound like it's still happening. I want to go home now; we're finished here and you can call Tanya for a sympathy fuck."_

_He threw his arms around my waist and put his head in my lap. "I don't want her, Bella. I want you. I love you. I'm sorry I messed up the details; it was so long ago. I made a mistake and called her when I was drunk and I made a mistake when I replied to her email. It was months ago and it hasn't happened again. I deleted her number from my phone and I'll delete her email address. Please give me another chance. Please Bella; I love you so much and I don't want to lose you," he said with tears in his eyes. _

_I bit the inside of my lower lip before I said, "Why would you want me when I just don't do it for you in bed like she does? Why would you want someone who's just okay when you can have someone who's great?"_

_He sighed and shook his head, "Bella, you are great. You and I had just started sleeping together and we hadn't found our rhythm yet and I was drunk and stupid when I called her. I didn't do anything with her. It was just talk. Please, please, please stay. I need you."_

_I stared at him as thoughts flew through my head. I looked into the tear filled eyes that I loved. I wanted to believe him; but he had hurt me. "Give me your phone," I said simply. _

_He fumbled through his pockets until he pulled out the small silver phone. I flipped it open and scrolled through the contacts. I didn't see Tanya's name so I figured maybe he was telling the truth. I handed the phone back to him. He took it and then went back to his computer where he deleted the email and Tanya's contact information. He turned around and asked me "Are we okay? Please tell me that you forgive me and give me another chance."_

_I continued to study him, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. I shook my head and replied, "No we're not okay and no I don't forgive you. Yet. I'll give you another chance; don't make me regret it."_

"We spent the rest of that night talking and I knew that to really give him a second chance I needed to keep it to myself. If I would've told you both, you'd have treated him differently and it would have made me second guess every little thing. He was good, I think, until about a year into our marriage. At least I don't have anything to prove otherwise," I said to my two best friends. I poured my third glass of Scotch while they absorbed the most innocent of my husband's indiscretions.

Rosalie broke the silence when she said, "Other than to show a propensity toward cheating, we won't be able to do much with this email. It happened before you were married and will have no effect on the prenuptial agreement which you both signed after this occurred. Do you have a copy of the agreement with you?"

I reached into my briefcase again and removed a copy of the agreement. I gave it to Rosalie, and Alice moved closer to her to read it also.

While they were silent, the waiter arrived with our appetizers and some empty plates. I sipped my drink and began to eat. Alice and Rosalie each picked up a piece of the flatbread to eat as they read. Rosalie made marks on the pages and notes in the margins and on her legal pad.

"Did you follow all of your requirements that are listed here?" she asked as she passed me a page.

I read through the list and nodded before handing the sheet back to her. "Did he know how much he stood to lose if he broke this agreement? I really hope you have something on him that occurred within the first three years or you're going to lose a large part of your grandparent's estate that they left you," she questioned as she continued to read.

I smirked, "He didn't really know. He knew that there was a trust in place that I would receive when I turned thirty-five; but at the time, neither of us knew how much was in it. I didn't even know until about a month ago when my financial advisor sent some documents to prepare me for later this year when I come into this inheritance and the one my parents left me when they died. He thought I might want to start thinking about different investment opportunities. We haven't had much time lately to talk. Between his tax season and all my shifts, we haven't spent more than an hour awake together. Now I'm glad I didn't get a chance to tell him about the accounts. He's going to hate himself for being so stupid when this all comes to light."

Alice frowned and said, "Whatever you have on him from early in your marriage better be as good as those emails you sent us last night. What you sent us is perfect to nail him now; but it won't do jack shit for nullifying this prenuptial agreement."

"Unfortunately, we're just getting started. Carlisle Cullen isn't going to fuck me over anymore," I declared as I raised my third glass of liquid courage. I was about to reveal everything I had kept hidden for thirteen years.

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A/N: Please let me know what you thought. I could really use some feedback! Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter Two

A/N: Things are about to get messy. If you don't want to read about pornography and cheating, than this story isn't for you! I will not get too graphic in descriptions, because that isn't what the story is about. It's about the journey Bella takes from being in love with Carlisle and trying to help him and save her marriage, to discovering that she deserves better, and eventually leading to her finding the one who loves and respects her and only her. If you're wondering why it took her so long to get rid of Carlisle, remember she loved him deeply and it's hard to let go of someone you love. And sometimes, it's harder to admit to anyone, even yourself, that you made a mistake.

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_When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better. ~ Malcolm S. Forbes_

**Chapter Two**

My phone, which I had turned on in the cab, rang as Alice and Rosalie continued to read the document. The caller ID read 'Carlisle' and I took a deep breath before I answered the call.

I put a fake smile on my face and said, "Hi Carlisle."

"Hey baby. I wanted to let you know I made it safely. I got in late this morning and knew your phone would be off so I waited to call you. I figure you're probably out with Alice and Rose right now. Say hi for me," he said as Alice and Rosalie glared at the phone in my hand.

"Yeah, we're having drinks and appetizers right now. We'll probably order dinner shortly. What are you doing?" I asked as politely as I could manage.

"I'm about to go meet some people for a drink before dinner and then I'm going to turn in for the night. I have a long day in conferences tomorrow," he was interrupted and there was a scratching sound as he tried to cover the mouthpiece of the phone. Though the voice was muffled through the covering, I heard a woman say, "Sweetheart, can you zip my dress?"

There was a scratching noise as he uncovered the mouthpiece. He quickly said, "I gotta go Bella. Someone from the New York branch is at the door. Make sure you charge your girl's night out to my credit card. Think of it as an apology for not being with you on your week off work."

"Oh, I'll be sure to do that. Goodbye Carlisle; I hope you enjoy your night," I said with just a touch of bitterness coloring my words.

"Oh I will!" he exclaimed too excitedly. "Bye Bella." The call disconnected and I set my phone down in disgust.

My friends looked at me and I shrugged. "He says hi. Oh and he said to charge tonight to his credit card as an 'apology' for not being with me on my week off work. He added that after I heard a woman call him sweetheart and ask him to zip her dress," I said with a glare at my phone.

"Bastard," Rosalie spat.

"Not that you want to be there; but why aren't you with him?" Alice asked.

"He claimed that he told me about the trip months ago; and by the time he actually told me last week, it was too late to get off from work. There was a surgery originally planned for next Monday that was rescheduled to last Wednesday. When I told him my week was free, he said it wouldn't be practical for me to go since he would be too busy with the conference; and he also said the last-minute airfare would be too expensive. Obviously it had nothing to do with the airfare; he just didn't want me to ruin his plans. Well, he may have gotten away with a romantic escape to Seattle; but he's not going to avoid a charge on his credit card that equals the cost of last-minute airfare. I have a feeling he'll regret offering to pay for tonight." I paused to pick up a menu that was left on the edge of our table and quickly perused it. "How do you ladies feel about filet mignon and lobster tonight?" I asked with a smirk.

"Won't you just end up paying for everything then?" Alice questioned.

I shook my head and said, "When we got married Carlisle insisted we should have our own accounts to track money for tax purposes. It was to our benefit to file our taxes separately for the first few years of marriage since he was working and I was in school; we paid in a bit less than if we would have filed jointly. We haven't changed anything over the years; and I'm sure it's been easier for him to hide things because of it. So to answer your question Alice, we have one joint credit card and the bill is paid from Carlisle's account. So tonight really is on him."

We placed our order with the waiter the next time he came by our table.

The windows that made up the wall across from our table gave us the perfect view of the sunset behind the Chicago skyline. We watched the city come alive with the nightlife.

Rosalie gathered together the papers that made up the prenuptial agreement and placed them under her legal pad. "Okay. Moving forward now. Tell us what happened during your marriage," she stated with a business-like tone to her voice.

I swallowed the lump that had crept up into my throat and began to speak.

_Our first year of marriage went well. We both worked in the daytime, and at night I was constantly studying for med school and he was studying for his certified public accounting exam. We would cuddle on the couch with our books and then go to bed together. Carlisle passed his CPA exam in January and then, instead of studying, he was working long hours during his second tax season. We started to see each other less; but we took advantage of every minute we had with one another._

_My hours at the hospital increased during the summer of my fourth year of medical school, right after our first anniversary. I had a lot of overnight shifts and it meant less time at home. Carlisle assured me that he was fine and that he knew I needed to be home less because it would benefit our future. His hours got shorter while mine got longer. There were a few nights that we were both home and I would go to bed early. The separation wasn't ideal for a new marriage; but he didn't seem to complain. _

_I thought everything was fine. I didn't know that he was unsatisfied until I come home early one day in September. His car was home, so I wandered through the house until I found him in the office. His pants were down and he was getting off to some video of a barely legal girl on the computer screen. I stood in the doorway and took in everything. I was frozen, stuck between wanting to run and wanting to scream at him. _

"_Carlisle?" I asked barely louder than a whisper. _

_His eyes flew from the computer screen to stare at me in horror. His jaw dropped open and he tried to pull up his pants as quickly as possible. "Oh, fuck, Bella. I, uh, didn't know you'd be home so early. I, um, was just. Yeah," he stammered. _

_I continued to stare at him. My eyes filled with tears when I saw the video that was still playing on the computer screen. He turned back to the screen and clicked the x in the corner. Another video started to play on the screen behind it. He closed that one and another one appeared. My hand flew to cover my mouth. _

"_Bella, it's not what it looks like. These damn pop-ups keep appearing. Fuck! Stupid piece of crap," he swore as video after video played._

_I backed out of the doorway and ran up the stairs to our bedroom. I collapsed on top of our bed and curled up into a ball. _

_Carlisle followed me into our bedroom and he sat on the edge of the bed next to me. "It was just some porn, Bella. It's not a big deal. Every guy looks at porn. It's like a stash of Playboy magazines, but in video form. You girls have your trashy romance novels. This is the same thing," he tried to rationalize._

_I wiped away the tears that had started to fall down my cheeks. I shook my head and said, "It's not the same thing, Carlisle. Those books are fictional and it's all up the reader to imagine the details. It's not real. Those videos are real people having sex and you're watching them. It's disgusting. Are you cheating on me? Is there someone else?"_

_His eyes opened wide and he shook his head quickly. "No, Bella. I'm not cheating on you. There's no one else." He brushed away a tear I missed and trailed his hand down to my shoulder tenderly. _

"_Is there something wrong with me? I know I'm not around a lot; but am I truly neglecting you so much that you need to watch those whores? Do you not find me attractive anymore? Don't you want me?" I asked panicked. Carlisle pulled his hand from my shoulder and stood up and started pacing the floor next to our bed. _

"_Dammit Bella. Of course I want you and of course you're attractive. You're just never here anymore. I love you so much; but I'm frustrated. You're never around when I need you, and when you are home, you're too damn tired to have sex. I have needs and they're not being fucking met!" he exclaimed._

_I gasped at his outburst and got off the bed to stand in front of him. "I'm working my ass off trying to balance school and marriage. You knew when you married me that it was going to be a challenge to find time together. Why haven't you talked to me before this? Why did it take me walking in on you for us to finally talk about our relationship? How far was it going to go before you told me that you weren't happy? Am I going to walk in the house one day and find another woman in our bed?" I asked him as my voice got louder with each question._

_He scoffed and replied, "Of course not. I would never do that to you."_

"_But how far was it going to go?" I reiterated quieter than my last outburst._

_He shrugged and threw his hands in the air as he replied, "I don't know, until I got off? Until you came home and I could convince you to fuck me? I don't know Bella; it was just some porn."_

"_How often do you watch it? Are you addicted to it?" I asked with my hands on my hips._

_He sighed and said, "I'm definitely not addicted. I don't watch it that often."_

"_Can you stop watching it?" I asked hesitantly. _

"_Of course I can," he answered quickly._

"_Will you?" I looked up at him and stared into his blue eyes. _

_He looked back down at me and put his hands on my shoulders. "I will, Bella," he said with sincerity._

_I had lost the will to fight with him once I looked into his eyes. "Carlisle, I look at you and see the man who means the whole world to me. I love you so much. Can we work on this together? You need to promise to come to me instead of the computer and I promise to make more time for you," I stated as I wrapped my arms around his waist and placed my head on his chest. _

_He hugged me tightly and said, "I love you too; and I'm sorry."_

_I wanted to trust him; I wanted to believe that he was telling me the truth. So I convinced myself that everything would be good again. I convinced myself that because I was making more time for him that he would come to me if he had a problem. He did make the effort to talk to me more so I thought he was keeping his promise. _

_That December I went to use the computer to write a paper about my latest rotation. I turned on the monitor and he had about twenty different windows open to porn sites. Some were paid subscription sites. He had two different file sharing programs running that were each downloading multiple videos and he had an open file folder that had hundreds of saved videos. It made me physically sick to see it all in front of me. _

_I didn't know what to do. My first thought was that he had lied to me again and that I should divorce him. I feared though that if I confronted him, he would just delete everything and I would have no proof. Daddy always told me to gather the all the evidence because you never know what you'll need. So I copied it all to an external hard drive that I no longer used. I was even able to get copies of his credit card statements that he kept in the paper files in the office. I put everything away where I knew he wouldn't look for it. _

_The more I looked at everything though, the more I wondered if divorce was the step I should take. Maybe to most people it would seem like a simple decision. But to me, it wasn't simple. I had married him and I didn't want to give up on him yet. For better, for worse, in sickness and in health. This was the _worse_ part and what I was looking at was his _sickness_. I wanted to give him the chance to get help and I wanted to be there for him at that moment and when he got better. I was convinced he could get better. _

_I made an appointment for him with therapist that specialized in pornography addiction. When he came home that night, he found me at the computer and it was his turn to freeze in the doorway when I closed the paper I had written. Everything that he had been looking at was still open on the screen. _

"_Bella, I can explain," he started._

_I shook my head and said, "No, Carlisle. I don't want any explanations right now. I want you to sit down and listen to what I have to say."_

_He sat down on the leather wingback chair in the corner of the room without saying a word. _

_I moved the desk chair so he could see me and the computer screen. I stared at him without saying anything for a few minutes. He started to wring his hands together. He looked terrified. I don't know if he was terrified of how I was going to react, or terrified that his secret had been discovered because he had been careless. _

_With a calm I didn't know I possessed at that moment I said, "You lied to me Carlisle. You said you would stop looking at porn. Not only have you not stopped, but also you've expanded your addiction."_

_He opened his mouth to interrupt. I held up my hand to get him to stop. "You do have an addiction Carlisle. I want today to be the last time I see any of this in my house. I'm going to give you two options. The first option is to continue doing what you've been doing somewhere else. And by somewhere else I mean in your new apartment or house; because if you choose this option I'll be at the courthouse tomorrow morning when it opens filing divorce papers. My parents bought us this house and it's my name on the deed and you will not stay in my house for a second longer than it takes to pack your clothes and leave," I paused for a moment to let that message get through to him._

"_I don't want to take that option, Bella. I don't even have to hear the other option to know that I don't want to lose you. What do I have to do?" Carlisle asked pitifully._

_I gestured at the screen and said, "First, you will cancel all paid subscriptions and unsubscribe from anything that doesn't charge you. Second, you will delete every file and file sharing program from this computer permanently. I want to watch you do it so I know it's all gone; and I never want it to come back into my house again. And finally, you will go see a therapist tomorrow and twice a week after that until he says otherwise. I know tax season is coming up again and your time will be limited. He's willing to work around your schedule and see you early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends. He doesn't allow medical students to observe him, so you won't cross paths with anyone you've met or that I know. He treats people for everything from stress, to grief, to addiction so no one will know why you're there. That's your other option, Carlisle. Are you sure that's the one you want?" I held my breath waiting for his answer. _

_He didn't say a word and instead moved the chair he was sitting on over to the computer and started to get rid of all traces of pornography from the computer and his life. I watched as page by page he unsubscribed from sites and then deleted every picture and video from every file on the desktop, including some I had not discovered in my search. He picked up the note card on which I had written Dr. Caius Volturi's information. After he stared at the card for a minute, he looked over at me and whispered, "Will you come with me tomorrow? I'm not sure I can take the first step alone."_

"_Yes," I answered simply. _

_And so I went with him. I went to at least one session a week with him for the next month and I listened as he discussed his addiction. Dr. Volturi had me talk about how Carlisle's addiction affected me. He gave Carlisle ideas as to how to overcome his urges to look for porn, like different ways to focus his thoughts and some meditation type exercises. _

_Carlisle seemed to change during and after his sessions, and Dr. Volturi gradually reduced his sessions to a few times a year, or if Carlisle felt the need to go see him. Carlisle's continued to see him as recently as two months ago. _

Our dinners arrived as I finished that part of my story. Alice and Rosalie stared at me, their mouths agape.

"How did you keep all of this from us? I understand why you didn't tell us all the details; but why didn't you tell us you were having problems?" Rosalie asked.

"Rose, when and how was she supposed to tell us anything? It was our first year out of law school and with the firm and her last year of medical school. Not only were we all busy with work; but you and Emmett had just gotten married that summer and Jasper and I were planning our wedding for the following summer. We've all been best friends since we were in diapers; we should have noticed that there was more going on with Bella than just school related stress," Alice said to Rosalie.

I finished my fourth glass of Scotch for the night. At some point during my story, my empty glass had been refilled and I was glad I had taken a cab that night. I wasn't normally a heavy drinker; but ending nearly a decade long marriage and spilling my darkest secrets to the women that were practically my sisters was cause for me to imbibe.

I rubbed my hands across my face and sighed again. "Alice, it wasn't up to you to notice that something was wrong. We were all so busy at that point in time that it was easy to hide it. And Rose, why didn't I tell you? I didn't tell you because I was too embarrassed and I didn't want to be judged for any of my decisions. I loved my husband through his problems and I needed to talk to someone impartial. Neither of you had experience with addictions and for a while I thought it was my fault that he went looking for something else. I mean, we were newly married and I was in medical school. I didn't devote enough time to him and so he had to find something that helped him get off because I wasn't doing it. I know now that my thinking was stupid. It wasn't my fault he had an addiction. It wasn't my fault he lied to me. Those were his choices and his problems. Dr. Volturi helped me realize that.

Another reason I didn't tell you, was because I was failing at something. I had never failed anything in my life and here my marriage was failing. I couldn't afford to take the time to break down. I know if I would have talked to either of you, I would have lost it. School was finishing and I had to focus on passing step two of my boards. I did everything I could to prevent my emotions from showing. I couldn't let anyone see that we were having problems or let anyone know that our life was anything less than perfect," I said while I stared at the edge of my plate.

Both Alice and Rosalie were quiet; so quiet that I lifted my head to see their reactions. Alice's eyes were filled with tears and Rosalie's had overflowed. "Don't cry for me. I was naïve back then. After the day he deleted everything, I never found more. I slowly started to trust him again and I believed he was better. In fact, I thought he was perfect. He hid everything perfectly until this week. I promised myself a long time ago that he had no more chances and there is nothing he can say or do now that will change my mind," I said with conviction.

Rosalie wiped her eyes with the black cloth napkin from her lap. She sniffed twice before she said, "Bella, you know better than most people that his medical records are confidential unless he releases them; and I doubt he will. The fact that he got counseling and you let him stay with you and even supported him isn't going to help you keep your inheritance. He's going to get half of everything you have now; and there's a good chance he'll be entitled to half of the inheritance when it's released to you due to the time conditions set forth in the prenuptial agreement. Those first three years were critical and I'm not sure you have enough evidence to show that he broke the agreement."

I raised an eyebrow and tipped my head forward in a half nod of acknowledgement at what she had said. My lips curled up at the sides before I said, "My story's not over yet Rose. I said he hid everything perfectly until this week; but he wasn't perfect. I have all the evidence I need to leave him with nothing of mine and to take half of everything _he_ has. Let's enjoy our dinner before I continue the story of Carlisle's betrayal."

* * *

A/N: Some of you may not agree with the choices Bella made, even after reading about why she made them; but remember, she's not going to let him fool her again. There are no more chances for Carlisle. The next chapter will reveal the rest of the story.

**Please review**! I appreciate and need the feedback to make a better story for you!


	4. Chapter Three

_Sorrow comes in great waves...but rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us, it leaves us. And we know that if it is strong, we are stronger, inasmuch as it passes and we remain. ~ Henry James_

**Chapter Three**

I picked up my fork and knife and cut a piece of my filet mignon. I closed my eyes and savored the perfectly grilled piece of meat. When I opened my eyes, I noticed Alice was staring at me with an annoyed expression on her face.

"What's on your mind, Alice?" I asked as I cut a piece of the lobster tail.

"You're going to make us wait to hear the rest? I want to know now!" she exclaimed. I heard Rosalie snicker as she cut a piece of her own filet to enjoy.

"Enjoy your dinner Alice. I have a feeling if you're eating when I tell you, you'll end up choking. Instead of focusing on my problems with my soon to be ex-husband, while you eat, why don't you tell me how my godson is doing?" I asked as a distraction.

Alice stuck her tongue out at me, but picked up her silverware and replied, "Eli's growing like a weed and he's getting into everything. I swear once I pick up one mess, I have two more that he's created. He cleaned out my entire cupboard of pots and pans last night and by the time I had put everything away, I found him halfway up the stairs. I just about had a panic attack. Last weekend he could barely drag himself three feet across the floor and now I turn around for a second and he ends up missing."

I laughed at her story and told her, "I'll come over tomorrow and help you baby-proof your house. We can go shopping for gates and locks."

"Don't forget outlet covers. Emmett caught Leah trying to put her metal baby spoon into an electrical outlet a couple of weeks ago. He bundled her up and dragged her to the store in the middle of that huge snowstorm that hit while we were working. I came home and couldn't figure out how to plug in my laptop. He got these box things that attach to the outlet and have a cover so you can have something plugged in and the baby can't get to the outlet or the cords. They work great; so great that I can't get the damn things open at all. I practically cried this morning when I couldn't get the cover off in order to use my hairdryer. Emmett found me trying to pry it off with my tweezers and a nail file. Then he walked over and pinched the sides together and the thing just popped open. 'Why didn't you push the buttons,' he asked. Why didn't I push the buttons? Because my hands are too damn small to push them both at the same time. I threw my tweezers at him," Rosalie commented.

Alice and I couldn't contain our laughter at Rosalie's story. She eventually joined in the laughter. It was nice to have a moment of levity in the middle of a serious night. We talked about nothing important while we ate. Alice and Rosalie shared stories of their children and I told them about work and some of my coworkers.

I put two small gift bags on top of the table when we finished our meals. "I went to campus a few weeks ago to interview a couple of medical students that want to shadow me in the Anesthesiology Department. After I met them, I stopped at the bookstore. They had a new line of kid's clothes and I just couldn't resist placing an order. Eli and Leah are going to be the cutest little Wildcats at the football games this fall," I said with a smile.

My friends opened their gift bags and both looked at me with shocked expressions on their faces. They each pulled miniature purple jerseys out of the bags. I continued by saying, "You could have them personalized with any number and name on the back and I figured what better numbers than their dads' old ones."

"Bella this is perfect; thank you so much! Jasper and Emmett are going to love this!" Alice exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"I agree. I have a feeling that Emmett is going to put it on Leah every time I ask him to get her dressed! Thank you!" Rosalie commented.

Once the jerseys had been folded and put away, and the plates had been cleared from the table, my friends turned the focus back on me. "Okay Bella, you've stalled long enough. Tell us what you found last week. You only forwarded us two emails. Obviously there's more to your story," Alice stated with her pen poised over her legal pad.

I pulled out a stack of paper from my briefcase and put it on the table. I folded my hands on top of the papers. Alice and Rosalie eyed the stack warily. I took a calming breath and said, "Rose, you told me I needed evidence that he broke the prenuptial agreement. It's right here."

"I had been working like crazy after the holidays. It seemed like everyone had put off surgery until January. I hardly had seen Carlisle except for in passing for about three weeks. I finally had a break last Friday and I asked him if we could have lunch together that day. He agreed and I went to his office to meet him a few hours later. When I got there, he was in a meeting and the receptionist told me to just go into his office until it was done.

While I waited, I noticed an open file drawer. I could see all the files from where I was sitting in the chair opposite his desk. You both know I would never look at anything related to his business. I would never violate confidentiality; but I could tell the files were personal. From my chair I read the labels, 'C. Cullen Bank Account,' 'C. Cullen Medical Records,' 'C. Cullen Insurance Records,' etcetera. The one that made me walk over to the cabinet was the one labeled, 'C. Cullen Child Support.'

"What!" both Alice and Rosalie exclaimed. Alice had been taking a drink at the time and started to cough when she swallowed wrong at the same moment she tried to talk.

I nodded in response to their reaction and when Alice's was finished coughing I continued, "I looked toward the door to make sure no one was coming and quickly removed the file. The entire thing was dedicated to a woman named Maggie. She's the mother of a six year old boy; a boy that was born thirty-five months after we were married. He was conceived two months after our second anniversary when Carlisle went to a conference in New York. I guess he decided if he couldn't watch other people have sex, he might as well have sex with other people. I have a feeling that he never brought up his new interest to Dr. Volturi even though he was still seeing him regularly at the time.

Carlisle has the DNA results, a birth certificate that lists him as the father, letters and pictures she's sent him over the years, a court order for child support, and copies of child support payments drawn from a separate account from his usual account. There are even a few pictures of him with Paul, that's the boy's name, when he must have gone to New York once to visit him. I hate to say it; but he's a cute kid. It's not his fault he has a douchebag for a father. From what I can tell from the emails he kept, Maggie knew he was married when he slept with her. He demanded a DNA test once the boy was born. When the test confirmed that Paul was his, he paid for all of her medical bills that had occurred during the pregnancy, and he's paid child support every month ever since.

I removed the papers from the drawer and put them under my jacket. I replaced them in the file folder with blank papers from his printer so he would think the file was still full if he glanced at it. I knew he wouldn't confront me about taking them if he discovered they were missing because then he would have to admit it all. It was an impulse to take the papers. I had no idea how I was going to manage to get them out of the office, let alone return them after I made copies.

The perfect opportunity presented itself when a couple of minutes later, Carlisle came into the office. He told me that the meeting was going to run for about another hour. Then he asked me if I would want to run to our favorite deli and bring lunch back to the office for us. I agreed and he went back to his meeting. I put my jacket on and hugged the papers close to me under it while I left the office. I called in our order to the deli and went to a copy shop on the same block.

After I made the copies, I picked up our lunch and returned to his office. He was still in the meeting, so I quickly replace the papers. I set up our lunch at his desk and waited for him. It took every bit of strength I had to act as if nothing was wrong once he joined me. During lunch he told me about the trip to Seattle and he acted as if he was disappointed I wouldn't be able to join him. He complained about how the conference came at such an inconvenient time, at the beginning of the tax season; and that he would probably be working every minute that he wasn't in meetings to try to keep up with the work he would be missing. I listened to him talk about work and meetings and he even asked me a few questions about the hospital. On the outside I acted normally; on the inside I was cursing his existence. As soon as lunch was over, I excused myself so Carlisle could get back to work.

I went home and looked through everything in detail. I pulled out the prenuptial agreement and did a little research. I gathered everything I could find and hid it in my briefcase with some files from work. I carried them with me ever since so that Carlisle wouldn't stumble across them. These are copies," I said as I handed the pile of papers to Alice.

Rosalie held up the DNA test results, Paul's birth certificate, and the court order for child support that had been issued by the state of New York. A sinister looking smirk appeared on her face and she said simply, "He's fucked!"

"And with the emails you sent us last night, I'd say he's really fucked," added Alice.

I couldn't help the burst of laughter that escaped me. It ended as quickly as it started. I sighed and said, "I only sent you _parts_ of two of them. I wanted to talk to you before I shared everything with you."

"There's more? It was bad enough that Carlisle's taking some woman that he's obviously having an affair with to Seattle, and that he wanted her to bring the same dress she wore the first time they had sex. And then she replied that she couldn't wait to fall asleep in his arms, naked and satiated once again! How can it be worse?" Alice exclaimed.

I pulled out the final sheets of paper from my briefcase and said, "It just is, Alice. It's much worse.

Finding out that Carlisle had an affair that produced a son was enough for me to want to divorce him. I worried though that if he had kept Paul from me, that maybe he was keeping other things from me too. I searched our office the next day I had off from work. I opened every file I could find on the home computer checking for anything abnormal.

It was pure luck that I was able to access his email account. He has his work email and a Hotmail account that I knew about; but the emails to Maggie were from a Yahoo account. I opened Yahoo and entered his email address; his password just happened to be saved.

For as educated and intelligent as Carlisle is, he's really stupid. I'm not sure what he was thinking by saving the emails that he did; but it's going to further his downfall. He saved email after email from various women over the years. Many of them he met through dating sites and internet ads. The one he seemed to use the most was a site dedicated to married men secretly wanting more.

Some of what I found appears to be communication with nothing resulting from it. Sometimes he saved sex chat sessions. There are saved videos where they used the cameras on the computer to have sex. Other emails were making arrangements to meet somewhere to have sex. I saved the videos to a flash drive and I printed all of the emails. The emails I'll show you tonight are the ones where I know he had numerous personal encounters with the women.

I'll read you the ones from the first two women and then you can read the ones from the last two women.

_Lauren, I can't wait to see that pretty little mouth of yours wrapped around my cock again. Are you free tomorrow night? ~Carlisle_

_For your cock I'm always free Carlisle. See you tomorrow. ~Lauren_

There were a few more from him to this Lauren over the course of six months. Their relationship or arrangements or whatever it was ended two years ago.

The next repetitive one was from last year.

_Carlisle, I got the keys to my brother's condo on the lake. I know I just had you last night, but it wasn't enough. Make your excuses to your wife and join me for a weekend of uninterrupted sex. I promise to make it worth your while. ~Jessica_

_Jess, Bella's working all weekend; but I told her I was going fishing with an old friend from high school just in case. You're not actually in high school anymore are you? Oh well, as long as you're over 18 it doesn't matter to me. ~Carlisle_

That relationship ended when her boyfriend caught them in bed. Apparently he forgave her; but she decided to end it with Carlisle because he said he would never leave me for her."

I lifted four of the pages from the pile and said, "These are the last four emails I have. I sent you part of the last two; but you need to read them all. All of these are from this past Monday."

Alice and Rosalie huddled together to read the emails while I poured the last of the Scotch between our glasses.

_My Dearest Carlisle,_

_The last month without you has been difficult and I miss you more each day. Our baby continues to grow in me and I've run out of space for him. I hate that I can't come with you to your conference in Seattle; but it is too late in the pregnancy to fly. I hope you're home in time for his arrival. Being without you has given me a lot of time to think. I wonder if he'll have your eyes and my hair. I wonder if he'll get to know you; or if you'll start a family with your wife and forget about us. Child support is nice; but a son needs his father. _

_I believe I know where your heart lies and it isn't with the woman with whom you share your bed most nights, the woman whom you've tied yourself to before God, family, and friends. I wonder though if you're lying to me like you're lying to her. Is there a third or even a fourth woman in your life? Is there another family that you've made and pushed aside? Is there another woman out there that is as accepting of her position as a mistress in your life? _

_Why won't you leave Bella? Why are you taking these chances with me? I love you and want to be with you. I'm having your son and I want us to be a family. Our son is due in three weeks if he holds out that long. I'm terrified to do this without you. I need you, please come see me before you leave. Seeing you will give me the strength I need for the coming weeks._

_I love you Carlisle._

_Love,_

_Your Esme_

_..._

_My Dear Esme,_

_Of course I'll come see you before I leave. Bella works a thirty-six hour shift starting on Wednesday. I'll spend that night with you. I want to see the glorious changes our son has made to your body. Can we still have sex? I yearn for you. I can hardly wait to feel our son move again. I hope he has your eyes._

_Why would you think there's another woman in my life, well, other than my wife? You're my true love Esme. No other woman can hold a candle to you. Another family I've pushed aside? Why would I abandon my family? I could never abandon you. I don't think of you as my mistress; to me you're the love of my life. If I'd have met you thirteen years ago, before I met Bella, we would be together right now, publically. I have less than one year left before Bella comes into her inheritance and then we can divorce and I'll get half. Then you and I and our son can be a family. _

_I love you my dear and I promise I will be there to welcome our son into this world. I'll be over on Wednesday night. Until then, have pleasant thoughts without any worries._

_Love, _

_Your Carlisle_

_..._

_To the most beautiful woman in my life, my Maria,_

_My sweet, sexy vixen. I have to cancel our visit on Wednesday night. Something came up that I need to take care of before we go to Seattle. I need to spend Thursday night at home in case my wife comes home early. I'll pick you up from your apartment on Friday morning on my way to the airport. Make sure you bring that red dress, the one that clings to your curves, the one that you wore the first time I made love to you. _

_I'm looking forward to a week alone with you and no distractions. We can fuck each other from dusk until dawn with no worries about rushing back home before my wife gets home. I can't wait to have your voluptuous body at my disposal for a week...to hold your hips while I sink deep into you from behind, to watch your full breasts as they bounce while you ride me, and to watch you writhing in pleasure as I love you. _

_Less than a year now my beautiful love. You've patiently waited three long years for me to leave my wife. Our time is almost up now and then we will have money to travel the world; and even though your beauty will outshine theirs, I will drape you in jewels. This week together will be a glimpse into our future-fine food, luxurious accommodations, and no suspicious wives to ruin our fun. I love you Maria._

_Forever yours, _

_Carlisle_

_..._

_Mi Amor,_

_I am disappointed that I will miss out on the pleasure you bring to me by missing our date on Wednesday night. However, I understand that you need to protect your story so your wife continues to be in the dark. I know it will ensure that our future together is lucrative. _

_Not only will I bring the red dress, but also enough lingerie that you can tear a new piece off of me each night while you fuck me. __I'm counting the minutes until I can fall asleep, naked and satiated, in your arms again. The conference can't come soon enough my love._

_Until Friday my love,_

_Maria_

Dumbfounded silence was the only reaction from both Alice and Rosalie when they finished reading. They both stared at me with their mouths agape. I stared back for a moment before I picked up my glass and raised it in front of me. With an edge to my voice I said, "To wasting the last thirteen years of my life on that bastard." My friends remained frozen as I emptied my glass once more. Alice's eyes had glazed over and she blindly reached for her own glass. She tossed the drink back as if she was doing shots at a college bar.

Rosalie interrupted my story and asked, "How the fuck did you stay in the same house with him after you discovered everything? There's no way I could have kept my mouth shut or acted normal."

I sighed again and said, "Honestly Rose? A part of me has been waiting for something to happen. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I could never shake the feeling that he was hiding something. Things were never black or white. With Carlisle there was always a grey area. His schedule was always so busy with either work or the people from work. He would tell me all about going out with the guys from the office; but whenever I would see them, none of them would act like they were that close to him. It always felt like he was telling me half-truths. His stories would change just slightly upon retelling, but it was enough to plant doubt. I could never find any proof though; and then I would feel guilty and convince myself that I was reading into something that wasn't really there.

When I first found that folder in his office I was in shock. When I examined it closer and then found all the emails I was hurt. Then I was angry; I wanted to confront him and scream at him. When I started to plan what I would say to him, I realized I want to blindside him like he did to me. In order to do that, I knew I needed to act as if everything was normal. I want him to come home thinking his lies are in perfect order. Then I want to watch him as he realizes that he's screwed."

Alice picked up one of the emails again and said, "You know, I almost feel a little bad for this Esme. I don't; but I almost do."

I nodded in response and said, "I know what you mean. He's playing her and lying to her. She thinks he's in love with her; but in reality he's just going to up and leave her too. But she knows that he's married; she knows that she's the other woman and she seems fine with it. Telling her about Maria or anyone else would only help her; and she helped to destroy my marriage. She chose to live her life this way; I owe her nothing."

"Bella, I hate to add to your concerns, but if Carlisle's been sleeping with other women for years, you should probably get tested. If he has two kids, he obviously isn't being that careful," Rosalie commented as she bit her lip in worry.

I shook my head and said, "You're not adding to my concerns. I already thought about that. I went into the hospital before my shift started on Wednesday and got tested for everything under the sun that Carlisle could have picked up from one of his whores. Everything came back negative, so I'm okay. Now I just want to focus on getting everything set in the next week for Carlisle's homecoming."

Rosalie let out a sigh of relief and said, "Stay at my house tonight. You can borrow some clothes tomorrow and we'll go together to Alice's in the morning. We can go shopping and start the divorce paperwork. The courthouse will be closed on Monday, so it gives us an extra day to get everything in order to file on Tuesday morning."

I agreed and after I settled the bill for the evening, the three of us left in a cab. When Rosalie and I got to her house, after dropping off Alice, I made my excuses and went straight to the guest room. I collapsed on top of the bed and fell asleep immediately. I felt relief after sharing my burden with my friends and knew that with their help, I would be okay.

* * *

A/N: I love all the feedback that I've received so far; but I'm desperate for more. I'll make it easy on you—I'll write the review, you just pick the letter that best describes your thoughts about this chapter.

A) Carlisle is a bastard and I hope he gets what he deserves.

B) Bella should give him another chance. Maybe he can change.

C) There must be a misunderstanding. This is obviously a big set-up to destroy poor, innocent Carlisle's life.

D) (Feel free to share your own comments)

Hours go into writing these chapters, so please take less than 30 seconds to type a letter in the review box. Signed or anonymous, I don't care!

Thank you!


	5. Chapter Four

_I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me. ~ __Dr. Seuss_

**Chapter Four**

I awoke the following morning to the sound of Leah babbling in her crib. I had fallen asleep on top of the covers and someone, most likely Rosalie, had covered me with the quilt that had been folded across the foot of the bed. I stretched and then went into the guest bathroom, bringing my purse with me. I washed my face, brushed my hair, and brushed my teeth with a toothbrush from my purse. When I was done in the bathroom, I wandered into Leah's room where she was still babbling happily.

I leaned over the railing of the crib and watched as she chewed on her sock covered foot. Her blonde hair, the same shade as her mother's, was spread out on her bed sheet. When she noticed me, she smiled and rolled over so she could use the bars of her crib to pull herself into a standing position. Once she was standing, she lifted her arms toward me. I picked her up and brought her to the changing table. I changed her diaper and picked out one of the outfits from her drawer. When she was dressed, I sat down with her in her rocking chair and held her close.

"Oh Leah. I was hoping to give you and Eli a cousin sometime this year; but that's not going to happen now. It probably never will," I said sadly. I looked down into her bright blue eyes; she was staring back at me with a concerned look on her little face as if she understood exactly what I was saying. Her hand reached up and touched my cheek. I lifted my hand to hold it there briefly before I turned to kiss her small palm. She gave me a wide smile showing her deep dimples and I smiled a small smile in return.

"Were you trying to have a baby with Carlisle?" Rosalie's surprised voice asked from the doorway.

Leah and I glanced over to where she stood just inside the bedroom. "Mama. B," Leah said to her.

Rosalie smiled and walked over to us. "Yes, Bella's here," she said as sat down on the floor in front of the rocking chair. Leah made no move to leave my arms. "Bella? Were you?" Rosalie repeated to me.

I looked down at Leah again and sighed. I shook my head sadly as I replied, "No, I wasn't. I wanted to though." I paused to look toward Rosalie. With another sigh I continued, "This past summer I told Carlisle that I wanted to have a baby. Things have been going well at work and this coming summer the head of the Anesthesiology Department is retiring and the hospital board voted to have me take over for him. There will be more responsibility, but also the ability to have a steady schedule. I was so excited to be at the point in my life that I had worked for, for so long. You know what he told me? He told me that he didn't think it was a good time for us to have kids. That he didn't think he even wanted to have kids. I guess he just didn't want to have kids with me."

"But Bella, now that you know everything about him, would you really have wanted to have a baby with him? Would you want to bring a child into this mess? Would you want to be reminded of him every time you looked at your child?" Rosalie asked cautiously. I looked down again at Leah and knew what she meant. Even though Leah's blonde hair and blue eyes matched hers, the curls, nose, mouth, and dimples were all Emmett. I would have hated to be reminded of Carlisle every time I looked at my child.

"I get it, I really do. I understand that things will be easier if I can have a clean break from him. I know that kids would have made this even more complicated than it already will be. But what if I missed my chance Rose?" I asked as tears ran down my face.

Rosalie got up from the floor and moved so she could put her arm around me before she said, "Oh sweetie, you're barely thirty-four. Alice and I are the same age you are and neither of us are done having kids yet. Hell, we've barely started. Leah's only ten months and Eli's only seven months; I know I want at least two or three more and Alice is thinking the same way. You have plenty of time to find the right man and have beautiful babies with him. There are much better men out there than Carlisle Cullen; men who will respect you and love you. I know you loved Carlisle; and I'm sure part of you still loves him. He's been the biggest part of your life since you were twenty-one and you can't move on overnight."

Leah touched one of the tears that was slipping down my cheeks and asked, "Boo?"

I nodded at her and said, "Yes baby, I have a boo-boo. She's so smart Rose." Rosalie nodded her head. I sniffled and asked, "How do I start over Rose? How do I trust someone else? I was fooled for years; how do I know the next guy won't do the same thing to me?"

"You don't. But you also can't judge every guy based on Carlisle's stupidity. You just take it slowly. Heal and then start looking. When you find the man that's really meant for you, the man who'll be worth your tears, but won't make you cry, everything will be perfect," Rosalie said as she gave me a tight hug before she stood up in front of the chair. She tipped her head in the direction of her bedroom and said, "Let's go bring Leah to Emmett and he can get her breakfast while you pick out some clothes to borrow and take a shower. I'll bet we can even convince Emmett to make us some pancakes."

I sniffled again and followed her to her bedroom where Emmett was putting on his socks. He stood up from the edge of the bed when we entered.

"Oh man, you got her dressed already. I was going to put the little jersey on her," Emmett said with a pout.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and said, "See, I told you he would want to put it on her."

I laughed a little at the disappointed look on his face. Emmett's pout quickly turned into a wide smile that showed the dimples that Leah had inherited and he said, "I love that little jersey. I think I'm going to order one in each size so Leah will always have one and then if we ever have another munchkin they can have one too!"

"Hey Em, will you take Leah downstairs for breakfast while Bella and I get ready? Will you also make your famous pancakes for us?" Rosalie asked as she batted her eyelashes at him.

Emmett rolled his eyes and took Leah from me. "Come on Leah, it looks like I'm on pancake duty. If you're good I'll make a special one for you," he said while he made faces at his daughter. Leah flashed her seven and a half baby teeth in response to him.

Rosalie walked to her closet and said, "Okay, what kind of clothes would you like today?"

I shrugged and replied, "I know Alice would have me dressing up; but I'm just in the mood to wear jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I actually have a clean pair of underwear and a bra in my briefcase; I keep them in there in case something soaks through my scrubs during surgery."

Rosalie flipped through the shirts that were hanging in her closet and pulled out two purple ones before moving to her dresser. "The Wildcats have a basketball game today that Emmett and Jasper are going to get together to watch, so we'll both show some team spirit," she said as she found a pair of jeans and socks to go along with the shirt for me. She handed me the clothes and I took them to the bathroom to get ready.

After I dried my hair, I joined Emmett, Rosalie, and Leah in the kitchen. "How did you get ready before I did?" I asked Rosalie as I took in her dressed and made up appearance.

"I took a shower and dried my hair before I joined you in Leah's room. I just put my pajamas back on until you decided the dress code for the day. I wasn't sure if you were going to want to dress up or down for shopping and filling out divorce papers. Here, have a stack of pancakes and bacon," Rosalie said as she handed me a plate.

While I ate, Rosalie continued to talk, "I talked to Alice this morning. Emmett will drive us to Alice and Jasper's and then he and Leah will stay there while we go to the office. Alice needs to pick up her car since she left it there last night. We'll take care of the paperwork first and then go shopping. We can figure out how to install all the baby stuff while the guys watch the game."

After breakfast we went to the Whitlock's house where we found Alice dressed in jeans and a Wildcat sweatshirt. I gave her a questioning look and she shrugged and said, "Rose told me what to wear. Come on, I made a call to the office and Sue's working this morning. She's one of the paralegals that specializes in divorce. I briefly explained the situation and she said she'll help us get everything in order quickly."

On the drive to the law office I learned that Sue was in her early sixties and had been divorced after a twenty-five year marriage. They had three grown sons at the time of divorce and even though her husband had been having an affair, he ended up with practically everything from their marriage. She went back to school to become a paralegal so she could help prevent others from meeting the same fate she did in a divorce. She had since remarried and excelled at her job.

When we arrived at the office, Alice and Rosalie sat me down at Alice's computer to begin filling out personal information for the divorce petition while they worked with Sue. Not long after I had finished on the computer, Sue came into Alice's office and brought me to a conference room where papers were spread across one side of a table. I sat in a chair that was in front of the papers.

Sue sat in the chair across from me so I could see her and said, "I'll finish typing your petition today before I print it. What you see here is copies of what you brought that will be filed also. I couldn't use everything, only the evidence of the affairs. Alice has the originals. If you want to do this quickly, your biggest obstacle is going to be distribution of marital property. Unfortunately property distribution has nothing to do with marital misconduct. Your situation is a lot more unique though with the addition of the prenuptial agreement. The first two years of your marriage where you were in school and not earning anything will go in Carlisle's favor because he was the provider and at that point had not violated the agreement yet. Accordingly, for anything purchased for you or both of your benefits during that time period, Carlisle will need to be either physically given those items or monetarily compensated for them.

After the date of his trip to New York, which is shown on his credit card statement that you provided, the clauses of the prenuptial agreement come into play due to his infidelity. From that date forward, he lost all rights to anything that was not acquired for his own personal use. He will also owe you half of the differences in your taxable income for each year that he out-earned you. Since you always filed taxes separately, we can easily find these numbers on your tax forms. For example, if his taxable income was $70,000 and yours was $50,000, he owes you half the difference, or in other words, $10,000 for that year. Once you began to out-earn him, you are owed a flat ten percent of his taxable income for each year. There is also a one-time penalty fee of $50,000 for breaking the agreement through infidelity in the first three years.

It may sound confusing, but whoever created your prenuptial agreement actually made it very easy. If he had made it through the first three years, even with infidelity occurring afterwards, he would have been entitled to fifty percent of your assets at the time of filing, though he would have lost all rights to your inheritance. If infidelity had not been the cause of the divorce, he would have also received a portion of your inheritance for each year of marriage. If your marriage had lasted the full ten years and infidelity had not occurred, he would have also gotten half of your future inheritance. You may not think so right now, but you're actually in a great position." Sue smiled as I gave her a weary look.

"My husband cheated on me multiple times and has children with two different women. I'm filing for divorce while he's in Seattle for a week with one of his mistresses. I really don't see the upside to this," I said bluntly.

Sue's smile turned into a smirk at my reply. "There is not a single lawyer that will take Carlisle's case and fight you. Once they read the petition and the damning evidence, the only thing they will be able to do is make sure he gets the items that are his as set forth in the prenuptial agreement. There is no way he can contest this divorce and there's a good chance it can be finalized within the month. Alice told me enough about your situation when she called me this morning that I made a call to a friend at the courthouse. She's not working today; but she said if we have this petition ready to file when they open on Tuesday morning, she can get you a final court date in about three weeks. The courthouse is closed Monday so that gives you an extra day to finalize your part," Sue said while she turned a business card over and over in between her fingers.

Confused I asked, "Other than the forms I just completed on the computer, what should I do?"

Sue handed me the card that read 'Fresh Start Specialists'. A phone number and an address were listed on the card; but there was no other information. "Rose just called and set up an appointment for tomorrow afternoon with that company. She and Alice wanted to burn all of Carlisle's things, but that would just drag out the case and you would owe him a lot of money in the end to replace all of his possessions. They eventually agreed with me that this would be best for you. That company will come into your house and log every item that is Carlisle's and will pack it for you. Everything will be put in a storage locker and he will be given a list that tells him exactly what is contained in each box. Once all of his possessions are removed from your house, Carlisle won't be able to enter it since the deed is in your name. Go through everything with a fine-tooth comb. Find anything that is his, even if it seems insignificant, so he has no reason to claim you forgot something," she instructed.

"We'll help you. We can pick up the baby-proofing things and then go to my house. I'll pack a bag for tonight and then we'll go to Alice's. Emmett can help Jasper install everything and then he can take Leah home whenever he's ready. Alice and I will spend the night at your house and help you organize things. The guys can manage the babies without us for a day," Rose said as she and Alice entered the conference room.

I shook my head and said, "You don't need to do that. You should both be spending time with your families. I can sort things alone."

Alice rolled her eyes and said, "Jasper and Emmett both agreed that we should help you. You know they both will do anything for you. They love you; and taking care of their own kids so we can be with you is probably the easiest thing they can do. If you decide to burn anything, they'll rush over to carry it outside for you, and probably will bring the lighter. We're coming over and that's the end of the story."

"If there's nothing else you need from us, Sue, I think we're going to leave. You have all of our cell phone numbers, please call us if you need anything," Rose said as she handed me my purse and coat that had been left in Alice's office.

Sue shook her head and started to gather all the papers from the table. "I have everything I need right here. The only thing I have to do it finish filling out the petition so that it's ironclad. Just get everything of Carlisle's logged and in storage by Tuesday morning. Good luck," Sue said as she held out her hand for me to shake.

I gave her a small smile and thanked her. Alice, Rosalie, and I left to do our shopping. Four hours later I unlocked my front door and my friends and I began the process of removing Carlisle from my house. It was easier than I thought it would be to sort out his possessions from mine. My parents had furnished the house the year before we got married. Carlisle had very little furniture that was his. He had brought a few things with him when he moved into the house, a bedroom set which we had used to furnish one guest bedroom and a living room set that we had kept in the basement. We had not purchased any new furniture until about five years into our marriage and under the agreement, it belonged to me unless it was solely for his benefit. However, I chose to give him the bed from the master bedroom. Even if he never slept with another woman in our bed, I couldn't look at it without thinking of him.

The people that came from Fresh Start Specialists were fast and efficient. Not only did they list everything in great detail, but also they took pictures of everything they packed and moved for proof of the item's condition when it left the house. By Monday afternoon, a copy of the list and a disc with the pictures was delivered to Sue. She added it to the petition which she and Rosalie would bring to the courthouse on Tuesday morning. She promised that everything would be in order to serve Carlisle with the divorce papers when he returned late Friday afternoon.

* * *

On Friday I was eating an early dinner in the doctor's lounge and relaxing, before preparing for a surgery that had been scheduled that evening when my phone rang.

The caller ID on my screen read Emmett. My hands shook slightly as I answered the call.

"Hi Emmett, did everything go well?" I asked.

"Hey B, everything went to plan. I watched him enter the parking garage with some curvy black haired woman. They were walking close together until he saw me. Then he said something to her and she turned around and walked back toward the waiting taxis.

Carlisle picked up his pace once she was gone. Once he got to his car where I was waiting he said, 'Emmett, what are you doing here? Is Bella okay, is everyone else okay?'

'Everyone's fine. Who was she?' I asked him.

He looked guilty and swallowed hard. 'That was, uh, um, a woman from my office. She was at the conference too. I had offered her a ride home and once I saw you I got worried that something was wrong so she turned around and I guess went to take a taxi home. Why are you here, where's Bella?' he asked me again.

I handed him the envelope and a key. He looked at it confused and then I said, 'Bella's at work. Here's your spare car key. I put all of your work and winter clothes and what Bella said were your most important or needed possessions in the car. And here are the divorce papers and a letter from Bella. You are no longer allowed in the house without making arrangements first. You, Carlisle Cullen, have been served,' I said as I took a picture of him holding the manila envelope with all the papers in it.

'What the fuck do you mean divorce papers?' Carlisle yelled when I walked toward my car.

I ignored him and got into my car and left. I have a feeling he's probably on his way to the hospital now. He caught up to me on the highway and flipped me off as he flew past me. I left about thirty minutes ago and I've been trying to call you ever since then and my phone wouldn't connect until now. He was pissed, B, and he probably didn't take the time to read anything, so be prepared. Don't meet him alone; make sure someone else is with you. I'd be there if I could; but I have to pick up Leah from daycare. Good luck, B."

I sighed and looked around the doctor's lounge. There was only one other doctor in the room and I didn't know if I should ask him to stay. "Thanks Emmett. I think I hear him coming now. He must have sped like a bat out of hell to get here this quickly. I'll be careful; there's a button to call security on the wall if I need it. Go get Leah; I'll call Rose later tonight. Surgery should be done by nine and I'll call her on my way home. Bye Emmett."

The door to the doctor's lounge flew open and Carlisle burst into the room. His blond hair was a mess and his blue eyes were wild. His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply while he glared at me. "What the fuck Bella? I came back from the conference and Emmett was waiting for me by my car. He barely said a word to me except that my clothes were in the car and then he handed me an envelope with divorce papers. Divorce papers? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? What the fuck are you looking at? You should leave, this is between me and my bitch of a wife," Carlisle finished by directing his last comment at the other doctor in the lounge, Dr. Masen.

Dr. Masen folded his arms across his chest, leaned back in his chair, shook his head and replied, "I don't think I'm going to leave. You seem pretty mad at Dr. Cullen and I don't think she should be alone with you." I gave him a small smile of gratitude.

Carlisle glared at him and then said, "Fine, suit yourself." He turned back to me, threw the divorce papers on the table, and said angrily, "You have no grounds for a divorce. I've been a perfect husband to you. You're the one that's never home. I sit at home, night after night, alone, waiting for you. I'm the one who's been neglected. All I ever did was support you and love you. Did you even think this through? Did you remember that we had a prenup? Do you think you can get away with divorcing me just months before the prenup expires and I'm going to just let you walk away with everything? Hell no, I'm going to make sure I get the house and half of your trusts when they're released at the end of the year you conniving bitch."

I couldn't help but laugh at him. I ended my laughter with a sigh and said, "No Carlisle, you won't. See I've made some recent discoveries and you're not going to get a dime from me. In fact, I've been more than fair. I had everything of yours removed from the house and carefully put into storage. There's even a list of every item that tells you in which box you can find it. In fact I think you should thank me; because Rose and Alice wanted to burn everything. I even gave you the bed from the master bedroom. Does the name Maggie Murphy mean anything to you? How about Paul Murphy Cullen? You know, your six, almost seven year-old son. How about Lauren, Jessica, Irina, Victoria, Carmen, or Maria? Do those names ring any bells? Because I have all the proof I need to show that you did in fact know them, in the biblical sense, while we were married."

Carlisle's mouth had dropped open and he had begun to visibly sweat. His face was pale and he looked panicked. I decided to take advantage of his silence and said, "Since you're finally quiet, I think I'm going to tell you a little story about my day. I wasn't supposed to work today; but Dr. Gerandy called me last night and asked if I could cover his shift because he was ill.

One of my first patients was a woman in the maternity ward that was in need of an epidural. I entered her room and said, '_Good morning. I hear you're having a lot of pain. I'm the anesthesiologist; my name is Dr._' and then she interrupted me and screamed, '_I don't give a damn who you are, just give me the fucking drugs._' I administered the epidural and then turned her care over to the resident while I went to a surgery.

Early this afternoon, I returned to her room to remove the epidural catheter and got to meet her beautiful baby boy. He was 8 pounds even and just over twenty inches long. He has a tuft of blond hair on the top of his head. His name is Ethan Allen. I have a feeling he'll get teased someday about that name; but he's not my kid so it doesn't matter to me. The woman looked up at me after I finished bandaging her lower back and said, '_Thank you so much for your help and I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning. Not only was I in pain, but also Ethan's father is out of town on business and I really needed him. I still can't get ahold of him._' I smiled and replied, '_It's alright. You're not the first woman in labor and definitely won't be the last to yell at me. It happens all the time. Take care of that little guy_.'

She nodded and said, '_I know his father wanted to be here; I'm sure he'll kick himself later when he realizes his missed the birth of his son. I'm sorry I didn't get your name before; I'm Esme Platt, and you are?_' I threw away my disposable gloves and turned around to face her. Of course I already knew her name; I had read her chart before I entered her room this morning. I smiled as sweetly as possible and replied, '_My name is Dr. Isabella Cullen. Take care Esme_.' Then I left her room and went about the rest of my day until you arrived.

So let me ask you, Carlisle; are you kicking yourself for missing the birth of your son? No, I don't think you are. I think you're kicking yourself because all of your lies fell apart in the matter of a week. You'll find the keys and directions to the storage locker with all of your possessions in it inside the envelope. There's nothing left of yours in _my_ house and if you try to enter _my_ house, I'll have you arrested. So, take your divorce papers and know that there's not a lawyer out there that will be able to beat Alice and Rose. Now get the hell out of the doctor's lounge and go meet your new son."

Carlisle swallowed thickly and grabbed the envelope from the table. The door swung open and hit him in the face as he tried to leave. One of the surgical residents began to apologize profusely. Carlisle gave him a glare as he held his bleeding nose and pushed past the younger man. The resident tried to follow Carlisle down the hall to make sure he was okay. Dr. Masen and I burst out laughing.

"Well, that was the perfect way to end that conversation, don't you think Dr. Cullen?" Dr. Masen asked me.

"Absolutely! Watching that was almost as good as if I would have punched him myself," I replied as my laughter slowed. The smile remained on my face until I said, "I'm sorry you had to witness that. He's been screwing around on me for over seven years and I just found out two weeks ago. Thank you for staying; I really appreciate it."

Dr. Masen shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it. You handled that much better than I did when I discovered my ex-wife was cheating on me. I came home early one day and saw Kate outside screwing two men. I took their pictures on my cell phone and then went to my parent's house. I was out for revenge. I logged into her email account and found some emails she had sent to the men. I attached the pictures to the email and sent them to everyone in her contact book, including her parents and grandparents. I stayed with my parents until she had been served the divorce petition. She moved in with one of the guys she was sleeping with and I got the house. I was so angry with her. You were just so calm though. I don't know how you did it."

"Well, I didn't tell him everything. He's going to get a surprise when he goes to see his new son. I left out the part of the conversation I had with Esme, before she knew my name, where I told her my husband was out of town too and that he was with his _secret_ mistress named Maria. Her response was, 'I'd make that cheating bastard pay if I were you.' I almost wish I could watch their reunion," I told him with a gleam in my eyes.

He laughed and said, "I see. You went for subtle revenge."

I smirked and responded, "It's not exactly all I did. Did you see him scratch his balls while I was talking? Apparently he got together with another girl in Seattle on Monday night after Maria fell asleep. She emailed him to tell him that she went to her doctor on Wednesday and found out she had both genital lice and chlamydia. I forwarded it to everyone in his email contacts, including his parents, just in case he thinks of going to any of them when Maria and Esme throw him out on his ass. Then I deleted the original email so he can be the last to know why he itches so much. Oh, and before he left for his conference, I cleaned the toilet with his toothbrush before I packed it in his travel bag."

Dr. Masen threw his head back and laughed a deep laugh. "Oh Dr. Cullen, that's great!"

I nodded, and looked at the bronze haired man in front of me. "We've known each other since we were undergrads at Northwestern. You played on the same football team as Emmett and Jasper. You used to go out with our group of friends. You used to study with me during our first two years of medical school. You used to call me Bella. Why did you start calling me Dr. Cullen?"

He blushed and said, "Honestly? When I spent time with you in school you were Bella Swan. We got separated until a few years ago with different rotations, specialties, and hospitals. When we started working together, it was professional courtesy. Everyone else called you Dr. Cullen so I did too. I guess it became a habit; and after my divorce it was a reminder that you were a married colleague."

I bit my lip and asked, "Will you start calling me Bella again?"

He gave me a crooked smile and replied, "Only if you call me Edward again."

I nodded and then looked at my watch. "I have to go put Mr. Baxter to sleep so you can replace the pins in his leg. I'll see you in the operating room soon, Edward."

He stood up when I did and said, "I'll see you soon, Bella."

* * *

A/N: We finally briefly meet Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward. We will be seeing more of Edward soon. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews. I love the great feedback. I do read and reply to every review and it means so much to know you're enjoying the story. I think the survey worked well for the last chapter and I will continue it. Please choose the letter that best applies and enter it in that nice little box. 30 seconds or less and you make me a very happy writer!

A) Carlisle got what was coming to him.

B) Carlisle didn't quite deserve what he got, some, but not all of that.

C) Poor Carlisle. Bella is the one in the wrong; and I'd scratch his balls for him.

D) (Please feel free to add your own comment)


	6. Chapter Four Outtake

Wow—the response to the last chapter was overwhelming! You all practically doubled the reviews, follows, and favorites on this story last chapter and it made my day so much that I wrote this quickly! A huge thank you to Tarbecca for recommending this story on ADF's Fic Dive!

Instead of working on the next chapter, I decided to write this for you. Some of the details in this outtake will come into play later.

This is for everyone who wanted to see Esme's reunion with Carlisle. I had requests for both Esme's and Carlisle's points of view; so pay attention as it will switch back and forth.

* * *

_Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. ~ George Eliot_

**Chapter Four Outtake**

_(Esme POV)_

As soon as Carlisle's wife left my room, I struggled to get out of bed to get my purse. It was in the closet near the door and my left leg was still a little numb from the epidural. I dragged my leg behind me as I gripped anything I could on my way to the closet. Once I got my purse, I made the difficult journey back to the bed. I had to lift my leg onto the bed and move it a few times until I was finally comfortable. I dug through my purse until I found the business card Carlisle had given me once. I knew he didn't want me calling that number; but I was desperate to get in contact with him. I picked up my cell phone and dialed his office number.

"Good afternoon, Business Solutions, Incorporated, this is Jane how may I direct your call?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm trying to get in contact with Carlisle Cullen; it's an emergency," I said barely holding back my tears.

"Mr. Cullen is out of the office until Monday. Would you like his voicemail?" the overly sweet voice of Jane asked.

I let out an exasperated sigh and said, "No, it's an emergency. Is there any way to get ahold of him?"

"No, I'm sorry. I can forward you to his voicemail and he can call you back on Monday," stupid Jane replied.

I groaned in frustration and a bit of pain from labor. "Monday is too late. I need to speak to him now," I exclaimed.

"Well, would you like his voicemail?" the idiot asked again.

"Listen to me. I just had his baby, I found out he's cheating on me with a woman named Maria, and his wife found out that he's been cheating on her. I've been trying to call him since I went into labor and he won't answer his goddamn cell phone. I don't want his fucking voicemail, I want a rope, a vice grip, and a dull knife so I can tie him down while I cut off his cheating dick," I seethed to the fucking woman on the phone.

"Uh, um, he has a wife, and a child with you, and is seeing a woman named Maria? That fucking bastard said I was the only woman in his life. I really have no way of getting in contact with him. I'm sorry; I have to let you go. I need to go see someone in the Human Resources Department," the whore stammered before the call was disconnected.

I slammed my phone down into the bed next to me and swore loudly. I must have been too loud because Ethan began to cry in the bassinet that was next to my bed. I reached out and pulled him closer to me so I could pick him up and feed him. I stared at my beautiful little boy and brushed the little tuft of hair on top of his head with my fingers. My little Ethan Allen was perfect. I had named him after my favorite interior design center; his name was a tribute to my life's passion.

As Ethan nursed, I thought about my encounter with Carlisle's wife. There was no way that she knew Ethan was Carlisle's son. My plan had been to fill out the paperwork for his birth certificate when we were ready to leave. I didn't want Carlisle's wife to make the connection if she saw the last name Cullen after Ethan's name. After finding out that he had cheated on me as well, I decided to give Ethan my last name and not Carlisle's.

I gave up trying to call Carlisle's cell phone. When he decided to turn it on, he would find the messages I had left for him. Though I was exhausted and sore when Ethan finished nursing, I decided to call for help from one of the nurses to take a shower. When Carlisle finally arrived, I wanted to look my best. I wanted him to see that I was strong without him.

The dreams I had of a future with Carlisle were gone. My worst fears had been confirmed and now my focus had to be on my new son. At some point in the future, I would need to apologize to Carlisle's wife for the part I played in destroying her marriage. But at that moment it was all about ending my relationship with Carlisle.

As I showered and made myself presentable, I thought about what I would say to Carlisle when he came. When he appeared in my room, I still didn't know what I would say to him. His hair was disheveled and the top of his shirt and the bottom of his face was covered in blood. A young doctor followed him into the room apologizing profusely before Carlisle turned and shouted, "Go the fuck away." The man backed out of the room, his hands held in the air as a form of surrender. Carlisle grabbed some tissues from the counter as he walked across the room.

I momentarily forgot my anger and asked, "What happened to you?"

"My fucking wife had me served with divorce papers and then that little bastard hit me in the face with a door as I was trying to get here to see you," he said as he sat down heavily on the small couch against the wall. He tipped his head backwards and held the tissues up to his nose.

"Divorce papers?" I questioned. He lifted a large envelope into the air before letting it drop onto the couch.

Carlisle closed his eyes as he exhaled. "Yeah, apparently Bella discovered that I had cheated on her. I don't think I'll get any of her money now. Oh well, I guess we can be a family. So where is that son of ours?" he asked. The blood had stopped flowing down his face and he shoved the tissues into each nostril when he tipped his head forward.

I slowly walked to the sink and got some paper towels wet so he could clean his face. There was no way I was going to let him get blood all over Ethan. And even though I was mad at him, I couldn't keep him from his son. As he cleaned his face and tried to rub off some of the blood from his shirt, I picked up Ethan and brought him close to Carlisle. Carlisle scratched his balls and adjusted his pants before reaching his hands out toward Ethan.

"Go wash your hands and you can hold him," I said calmly.

When he was sitting again, I handed Ethan to him. He smiled softly at his new son and it melted my anger a bit. "He's perfect Esme. I'm so sorry I wasn't here and didn't get your messages," he said, his eyes apologetic. I internally questioned how he found me if he didn't get my messages.

"How was the conference?" I asked.

"Good," he replied absentmindedly.

"How was your flight?" I questioned again.

"Good," he answered as he watched Ethan grasp his finger.

"How was your drive from the airport?" I asked.

"Good," he said again.

"How is Maria?" I asked hoping to trap him.

"Good," he answered before his head snapped up, his face showing panic.

"Uh, I mean, who?" Carlisle tried to backpedal.

I smiled sweetly and asked, "You mean you don't remember? Your wife let it slip that her husband was away with his secret mistress named Maria. I don't believe she knew who she was telling though. She was so nice to me; there's no way she knew that Ethan is your son."

Carlisle burst out laughing, "Wow, you really have her pegged wrong. That bitch is the one that told me about Ethan being born. I had no clue you were even here. I haven't checked my phone or email in a week. This little runt wasn't supposed to be born until next week. And you sure as hell weren't supposed to come to this hospital to have him."

I glared at him before taking Ethan from his arms. As I stood up straight, Ethan turned his head to the side and spit-up; it landed perfectly on the top of Carlisle's head. "Eww, fuck, that's gross!" he exclaimed as he jumped up and went into the bathroom.

I smiled at my son and said quietly, "Good aim sweetheart." Carlisle continued to swear as he tried to wash his hair and clean up the remainder of the blood from his face and clothes.

I glanced at my open laptop. I had started to read through my emails while I waited for Carlisle to either call or come to the hospital. I noticed one from Carlisle that had been sent that afternoon entitled, "I want you to know…" A glance toward the open bathroom door told me that he was still busy.

_To all the women in my husband's life ~ Carlisle and I would have celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary this June; but I'm throwing him out on his cheating ass. I'm not sure all of you knew that he was married; but enough of you knew. I believed I had a great relationship with my husband. I loved him, I supported him, and I believed he was faithful to me. Sure we had our ups and downs; but I believed that he really loved me. Carlisle is a great liar. It would probably serve each one of you right to deal with this, since you all helped my husband to cheat on me. I owe you all nothing; but I'm hoping that by sharing this with you, Carlisle will have a hard time finding a bed to sleep in tonight. _

_Carlisle ~ I hate to have to tell you this, but when we slept together on Monday night I didn't know anything was wrong. I went to my doctor on Wednesday and I have a pretty severe case of genital lice. You'll probably want to get treated before the nits hatch. Based on the stage they were at when I went to the doctor, they'll probably hatch on Friday or Saturday. The doctor also discovered that I have chlamydia. You should probably tell that woman you were traveling with, Mary? Martha? Maria? I can't remember her name; but she'll probably want to get treated too. Sorry for passing this along to you; but hey, I'm a hooker, it happens in my line of work. ~ Zafrina P.S. ~ You have my number if you ever want to get together again. _

_If any of you want him after reading all of that, he's all yours. Though you should also note that as of this afternoon he is officially the father of two sons with two different women and is in the process of a divorce. Sincerely ~ Isabella Cullen_

My anger grew even more after reading Bella's email. I closed the email and glared at the man towel drying his hair in the bathroom.

* * *

_(Carlisle's POV)_

I stood in front of the sink in the tiny bathroom and tried to clean the puke out of my hair and the blood off my face. That fucking little brat. I can't believe he threw up in my hair. I was having the worst day of my life. It all started that morning when Maria got her period unexpectedly and refused to have sex with me. Then when I tried to convince her to give me head in the plane's bathroom, she refused and the flight attendant offered to go down on me. The male flight attendant. I have no problem if he swings that way, but I sure as hell don't. He flirted with me for the rest of the flight and pinched my ass as I got off the plane. Maria thought it was hysterical. Then Emmett appeared with the fucking divorce papers. After that, I confronted Bella thinking she had nothing on me and it all blew up in my face.

I had been covering my ass since before I married Bella. I even went to that bullshit therapist and said a bunch of crap so he would think I was working through my "addiction." Well I was "cured" alright; I didn't need to watch porn when I could find real women to fuck. Bella was so easy to fool all those years. She worked her ass off and was never home. All I had to do was pay attention to her schedule and I could sleep around to my heart's content. The little bitch had to go and figure it all out just before our ten years were through. I was fucking screwed. I had nothing on her; the woman's practically a saint. How the hell did she find out about my first bastard son? Not to mention that whole list of other women I've fucked. There were more, many more, but she only listed my long-term lovers.

And that damn doctor just sitting at the table, all smug, like the fight between me and the bitch was the highlight of his year. He seemed familiar, like maybe I saw his picture when fucked his wife or something? Then Bella has to tell me all about how she met Esme. Getting Esme pregnant was another huge mistake that I was hoping I could keep hidden. Getting stuck with the bitch and her little brat was not part of my plans. I wanted to pay Esme off and hopefully never see them again. She was becoming too clingy and pregnancy did not do good things to her body. She had to have gained fifty pounds and none of it was in her boobs, it was all in her face and ass. To top everything off, that fucking resident broke my nose and the damn baby covered my hair in thick, yellowish, sour-smelling milk. Oh fuck, it was probably breast milk.

I picked up the towel that was next to the sink and tried to dry my hair. I turned around and saw Esme glaring at me. Was she upset because I washed her kid's regurgitated dinner out of my hair?

I scratched my balls again and wondered why the hell they itched so damn much. Maybe I got hives from all the stress of my day. I don't think they started to itch until Emmett handed me the divorce papers. I could hardly wait to leave the hospital and go to Maria's. Or maybe I could go visit Jane. She was a tricky one though since I worked with her. I didn't want her to get too attached or I'd have to find a way to get her fired. It wouldn't be that difficult; but I think the people in HR might be getting tired of finding receptionists that don't "mess up my client's files" on a regular basis.

"All better," I said as I left the bathroom. I gave my balls another scratch. Those damn hives must have been getting worse.

Esme was shaking while holding the little runt. "Do you want me to take him so you don't drop him?" I asked cautiously, hoping she would say no.

With a smirk she said, "Sure, you can change his diaper. It's something a father should know how to do. There's some sanitizer for your hands right next to the clean diapers. Use it before you change him."

I got a new diaper and cleaned my hands again. Esme put the shriveled up, old-man looking baby in the basket thing next to the bed and stood close to his head. Even Bella said he was beautiful. I just didn't see it. I pulled the plastic tab things open and the kid's face turned red as he started to scream and kick his legs wildly. I took off the old diaper and tried to figure out how to put the new one on him. I caught his flailing legs and picked up one of those wipe things. As soon as I wiped him with it he paused his screaming. I breathed a sigh of relief at the break from that wretched noise. I leaned over him and a warm stream of liquid shot into my mouth. I started to gag and moved only to have the little fucker piss in my eye. I didn't think before I said, "Why you little shit…"

I didn't realize that a woman that had just given birth could move as fast as Esme did. She kneed me in my itchy balls and punched me in my already broken nose before she pushed me aside. I moved willingly; the fetal position was the only one I wanted to be in at that moment in time. I didn't care that my face was dripping with urine and that my mouth tasted worse than if I had thrown up after a night of drinking skunky beer. The only positive thing was that my nose didn't start to bleed again; it just throbbed.

Esme shook her head and replied, "You will never hold Ethan Allen Platt again. All we want from you is child support and my lawyer will take care of securing that for us. I don't want you to touch me or my son again. I hope your dick falls off or at the very least you become sterile so you can never put another woman through what's happening to me and Bella. Your wife didn't deserve to be cheated on and I'm sorry for the part I played in destroying her life. I hope she finds someone much better than you next time; and I hope I can find someone who wants to be a father to my son and who will love us. Oh, and you're not that great in bed. You'd think with all the practice you get, you'd be incredible."

I didn't notice as Esme finished putting the new diaper on the little pisser or when she left the room. All I could think about was that my balls really hurt; and between the pain and the itching they felt like they were on fire. I didn't think my day could get any worse.

I was wrong.

* * *

_(Esme POV)_

I left Carlisle curled up on the tile floor and went searching for someone to help me call security. The hall was empty of nurses and I was feeling sore. I sat down in a chair a few doors away from my own room and cradled my son to my chest.

"I'm so sorry that your father's such an asshole. I mean, obviously he was, since he was cheating on his wife; but in that case I'm not any better. I knew what he was doing to her; but I fell in love with him and thought he loved me too. I thought it was just a matter of time before we could be a family. Fucking Carlisle Cullen," I exclaimed and brushed away a tear that had escaped my eye.

"I didn't mean to listen to your conversation with your son; but did you say Carlisle Cullen?" a gorgeous black haired woman asked. She was dragging a suitcase behind her and she looked tired, as if she had been traveling all day.

I nodded and more tears began to stream down my face. "You're Maria," I said simply.

"Yes, I am," she answered just as simply. We stared at one another, each knowing that Carlisle had lied to the other.

She broke the silence when she said, "I got the same email you probably did and had my cab from the airport bring me here. I saw Carlisle's car and have been searching for him. He doesn't know about the email yet, does he?"

I shook my head and watched an evil smirk overtake her beautiful face. "Good. Let's keep it that way for now. I need to pay him a visit and then go get treatment in the ER. Do you know where he is?" she asked.

I pointed to my room and she walked toward it.

I saw a nurse coming out of another patient's room and went to talk to her about getting security to remove Carlisle from my room.

* * *

_(Carlisle's POV)_

I heard a woman's high heeled shoes clicking against the tile as she walked. The woman stopped next to me and began to tap the toe of her shoe. I cracked open my eyes while I tried to scratch my balls without putting any extra pressure on them. My eyes scanned the woman from her shoe, up her leg to the bottom of her skirt, which I unfortunately couldn't see up from my position, and to her shirt which looked rather familiar. They scanned her full chest which was being pushed together by the arms that were folded across it. As soon as I saw the black curls that rested on top of her breasts, I stopped breathing because I realized who I was looking at.

Maria glared at me while I tried to stand up. I fought through the burning pain and managed to get myself upright. Maria's eyes scanned my body and her face changed from anger to disgust. I opened my mouth to try to fix things with her and before I could say a word she said, "Fuck you Carlisle Cullen. I hope your dick turns black and shrivels up. I had a better lay from Joe, that guy out of your Atlanta office that we went to dinner with last Friday, than I ever did with you. When I pretended to be asleep and you snuck out of our room on Monday night, I went to his room. I didn't have to fake an orgasm with him. I've only stuck around with you this long because you were supposed to come into money soon. Now that you're not, I'm done with you. Good luck finding another woman. I'm going to make sure your picture and story go viral; and you know I can. I'm in marketing and I have all the connections necessary."

I scratched what had to be hives on my balls. They were getting worse and I'm sure it was due to the added stress of Maria finding out my story. "Maria wait; this is all a misunderstanding. I want to be with you," I begged. It was partially the truth. Out of all the women in my life, the sex with Maria was the best.

She smirked at me as I once again scratched myself. I had barely moved my hand before she kneed me as hard as she could in the balls. She put so much force into it that I heard her skirt rip before I fell to the ground again. "Well I don't want to be with you. Fuck you," she said. She pulled out her cell phone and took a picture of me before she added a kick to my nose and left the room. I rolled on the floor until two men hoisted me into the air. I didn't fight them as they dragged me outside the hospital. I stumbled to my car and collapsed in the seat. My balls hurt so much. The itching was just an annoyance compared to the searing pain I was experiencing at that moment.

I don't know how long I sat behind the wheel before the pain receded enough for the burning itching to return. I drove to Jane's apartment, hoping that she would have an icepack and maybe some hydrocortisone cream for my balls. I climbed the two flights of stairs to get to her door. When she opened the door, she said nothing to me. I took a step forward to enter her apartment. She didn't move aside for me to enter; she just glared, kneed me in the balls, and then slammed the door in my face.

After I finally gathered myself together enough to get down the stairs and into my car, I decided that my balls couldn't take another one of my lovers. My only option was a hotel where I knew nobody. I curled up on the bed after taking some acetaminophen for the pain. I didn't even want to try to take a piss because I was so sore and swollen. I hoped that by the morning the hives would be gone and my balls would be back to normal. That was the worst day of my fucking life.

* * *

A/N: So maybe it wasn't exactly as good as you were expecting from Esme; but remember, she had no time to plan revenge and her focus was on her new son.

I would love to see another huge response to this chapter! So please, pick a letter and type it in the box below! If you liked this outtake, (or even if you didn't) please take 10 seconds to give me feedback!

I was asked by a reader to randomize the quiz so pay attention as the following options have changed!

A) Oh, Carlisle's poor balls! I'd make him a little splint for his broken, infected dick and I'd kiss his nose.

B) (Feel free to share your own comments.)

C) What a bastard! Way to help your mother get revenge Little Ethan!

D) He deserved all of that and so much more.

E) If I ever meet this version of Carlisle, he'll pray for a kick in the balls and a punch in the nose compared to what I would have to offer him.

Thank you!


	7. Chapter Five

As I sat down to type this chapter, I realized that I probably have the worst browser search history right now from all the research I've been doing for this story. Cheating, porn addiction, affairs, mistresses, illegitimate children, child support, divorce attorneys, prenuptial agreements, Illinois divorce process, defamation, pubic lice, chlamydia, STDs, testicular trauma, and revenge and betrayal quotes. I hope nobody needs to borrow my laptop anytime soon or they're going to think my husband and I are having issues—that includes my husband…he might freak out and wonder what he did wrong!

I want to thank all of my wonderful readers-I am blown away by your response to this story. Thank you for reading!

* * *

_Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~ Maori Proverb  
_

**Chapter Five**

I spent the weekend following Carlisle's departure from my life shopping for new furniture to replace what I had given to him. Emmett and Jasper helped me arrange all the new furniture once it was delivered. On Sunday, I babysat for Eli and Leah so my friends could each have a date night with their spouses. The two babies kept me busy and helped me avoid thinking about Carlisle. Each day that passed without him made me realize just how much better off I was with him gone.

I worked the day shift on Tuesday and met my friends after work for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Once again they arrived before I did. They had just received a pitcher of margaritas and some chips and salsa. I smiled at the sugar rimmed glass that Alice was filling for me. Rosalie and I hated the rock salt that Alice preferred.

"Hi Bella! Jasper, Emmett, and the babies should be here soon. Jazz just texted me to say that they were all a few blocks away," Alice told me as I pulled out one of the chairs. Leah and Eli went to the same daycare in the building Emmett and Jasper worked at, so the guys were always in charge of picking up their children.

"I have some news for you. A woman walked into our office today to hire a lawyer to represent her in getting child support from her baby daddy. Apparently, her baby daddy is Carlisle. I didn't get the details of the case other than that; but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it was Esme. Well, the lawyer that got assigned to her case noticed that there was another open case against him, yours. So he thought he would share with me a piece of information that he discovered. He had contacted Carlisle's office to verify his current employment and there are pending sexual harassment suits against him; they are up to five women that have filed against him. He is currently suspended pending the investigation. But you didn't hear that from me," Rosalie gossiped. Rosalie was a closet tabloid junkie; and Emmett hated when she called him her baby daddy in reference to Leah.

I smiled and took a sip of my margarita making sure to have a lick of the sugar from the rim. "I don't feel sorry for him. A part of me wonders why I'm not feeling worse about the end of my marriage; but I just don't give a damn anymore. When I saw him on Friday, all I wanted to do was get him out of my life so I never have to see him again. I thought I was happy with him; but the more I reflect on my marriage, I can't even remember the last time I was truly happy when he was there. I loved him, but that was it. I was just going about my life and he just happened to be in it. I've realized I'm not upset with the loss of him; I'm upset with the loss of the time I wasted on him. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to screwing him over in court in two weeks; but after that I don't care if he falls off the face of the earth or if he rockets to stardom," I stated.

Alice broke apart a chip and dipped it in the salsa before she asked, "Are you keeping his name?" She ate the chip as I contemplated the answer to her question.

I crinkled my nose and crumbled a chip in frustration. "As much as I don't want to, I'm too connected to it professionally. If I ever get married again I'll change it; but right now it would be too much of a hassle," I replied with a sigh.

Rosalie was checking her email on her phone and had just taken a drink of her margarita when she started choking.

"Hey babe, are you alright?" Emmett asked as he and Jasper appeared at the table. Emmett patted Rosalie's back until she started breathing again. She coughed quite a few times before she was able to say anything.

With tears in her eyes from choking on her drink, Rosalie coughed one more time and said, "Holy shit. I just got this email from the Chicago Entertainment and it had a feature article entitled, "Ladies, do you know this man? Would you like to?" It has a huge picture of Carlisle!"

"What?!"I exclaimed as I grabbed her phone. Everyone crowded around me as I clicked the link. A flashy, colorful advertisement resembling a flyer appeared on the screen of Rosalie's phone.

_Ladies, are you looking for a new man? A man that's experienced and charming? If so, this man may be right for you. This accountant loves numbers, so let's take a look at his:_

_1…the number of wives he has—though he may or may not tell you about her._

_1…the number of divorces currently pending—ladies, legally he will be available soon._

_1…the number of hookers he slept with last week—the number could be higher._

_2…the number of STDs he caught and passed on last week—due to the hooker._

_2…the number of illegitimate sons he has with as many women—one was born last week._

_2...the number of confirmed mistresses he had last week—most likely there were more._

_0…the number of mistresses he has today—the mother of his latest son and I both dumped his ass._

_0…the number of jobs he currently holds—he was suspended, without pay, as of this morning._

_0…the number of dollars likely in his bank account after his future divorce and child support payments._

_9.58…the number of years he was married before his wife discovered his lies. _

_13…the number of years he lied to his wife—he lied to her since the first day they met._

_43…the number of women that received a forwarded email from the hooker describing the STDs he had caught from her—he, however, failed to receive the same email and didn't know of his STDs._

_?...the number of women he slept with, besides his wife, during his marriage—too high to estimate._

_0…the number of women that took him in after his lies were discovered—hopefully._

_If all of those numbers somehow add up to ONE, as in the perfect ONE for you, this is the man you want to meet. Allow me to introduce Carlisle Cullen, the most __**handsome**__, smoothest talking, lying sack of shit that ever existed. Don't be afraid to call him at 312-555-5978—I'm sure he'd love to talk to you!_

_For everyone else, have you been screwed over or simply screwed by Carlisle Cullen? If you haven't yet, count yourself lucky, as you are one of the few. Think of this as a public service message from a former mistress; don't be fooled by Carlisle Cullen._

I wasn't exactly sure how to feel when I saw the ad with Carlisle's face prominently placed in the middle. On one hand, I was embarrassed to be the woman that didn't see through his lies and I hated to have it shown so publically. On the other hand, I found it wonderful to see Carlisle get his balls handed to him for everyone to see. My embarrassment was outweighed by the immense pleasure I got thinking of how this would affect his life to come.

I looked around me at the faces of my friends. Eli and Leah were desperately trying to reach out to their mothers; and Emmett and Jasper were ignoring the fact that the babies had practically squirmed right out of their arms. Shock was the only expression on everyone's face. I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing. I laughed and laughed so hard that I couldn't see through the tears in my eyes.

"Are you okay Bella?" Jasper asked. He had finally realized that Eli no longer wanted him and had placed the boy in Alice's lap. During my laughing fit, Leah had managed to escape Emmett's arms and was crawling across the tabletop toward Rosalie. Jasper's voice seemed to shake Rosalie out of her trance and she quickly picked Leah up before the pitcher of margaritas became a casualty.

I continued to laugh as I reached for the napkin dispenser in the middle of the table. I pulled a few out and wiped my eyes. "I'm fine, Jasper. Seeing that has been the highlight of my day. When it rains, it pours for Carlisle!" I exclaimed.

Emmett joined in my laughter and added, "Karma is working overtime on his sorry ass!"

Alice took the phone from me and studied the ad one more time. She held the phone far enough away from Eli's outstretched hands and then said, "I'm trying to find something in this that's false and there's nothing. The way it's presented either tells the truth or gives an opinion; and with that being the case, he can't even sue for defamation. It was most likely Maria that created this. She must have been really upset about those STDs she caught from him. I hate this woman; but I have to give her credit where it's due and this is excellent."

Jasper took the phone from her and studied it too. "Hey, what's this?" he asked as he pointed to the word handsome in bold. When he pointed, his finger touched the word and another page opened.

I gasped as a picture of Carlisle curled up on what appeared to be the hospital floor loaded on the screen. His nose was swollen and there was blood all over his shirt. He was grabbing his crotch and looked like he was in pain. A caption under the picture read: "Carlisle Cullen's balls might be out of commission for a while...his nose too."

"Ouch," Rosalie whispered.

I shrugged my shoulders and asked, "Is it bad that I don't feel at all sorry for him? Because I don't."

Emmett shook his head and replied, "No B. I don't think it's bad, I think it's a sign that you're going to be just fine."

I smiled at him and said, "Thanks Em. I'm ready to move forward. I'm not going to waste my life worrying about him any longer."

Alice perked up and said, "Does that mean you want to start dating again?"

I thought about her question before I said honestly, "I don't know. Maybe?"

Jasper added his two cents, "If you're looking for a date, there's this guy that works in the Accounting Department…"

I interrupted him, "No, no more accountants. I don't care if the guy's the next candidate for sainthood; I'm not dating another accountant."

"Speaking as your friend, I say if you feel ready to get out there again, even just to have dinner with a new guy, then go out on a date or two. But speaking as your lawyer, wait until the divorce is final before you get serious. You don't want Carlisle to have any reason to be able to delay this court date. If you can wait two more weeks, you might be able to answer the question 'are you're ready to date' with a _yes_ instead of a _maybe_," Rosalie interjected.

I thought about what Rosalie said as I sipped my margarita. Was I ready to date? Probably not. Was I over Carlisle? Yes and no. I was completely done with him and wanted to separate myself from him. But thirteen years is a long time with someone and taking a step forward with anyone else would be difficult. What if I chose another Carlisle? I chose to marry him, to live with him, to love him; what was to say that I wouldn't make another bad choice? I needed to figure out what I wanted in a man before I put myself out in the dating world again.

I went home that night and turned on my computer. I was worried about taking the next step, entering the world of single life. I opened Google and began to search for things like 'how long after a divorce should you wait to date again'. One site told me that you should be single for two years; because in those two years you get to discover yourself and figure out what you really want out of a relationship. I already knew what I wanted; I wanted a husband to start a family with, a husband that would love me and only me. I didn't want to wait two years to begin my search. A couple of other sites told me to wait until you're able to emotionally disengage from your former spouse and allow strong emotions to subside. Those sites made the most sense to me.

I tried to evaluate my feelings toward Carlisle and toward being single. Without him in my house, I felt relief, not anguish or loneliness. When we had spent time together, especially in the previous two years, there was always tension. And it definitely wasn't sexual tension. We were in different places in our careers. I was moving forward, reaching my goals, and Carlisle was stuck in the same senior tax position he had been in for seven years, never getting promoted to manager. Our alone time was always stressed and even when we did have sex, we just weren't emotionally connected. I felt like maybe I had already been single for two years. Maybe that's why I didn't feel like grieving; maybe that's why I just didn't care anymore.

I continued to search for answers to my questions and stumbled across a dating website. I wondered if by answering their questions, it would help me figure out what I was looking for in a relationship. I spent an hour filling out questionnaire after questionnaire. When I finished, I turned off my computer and decided to go to bed.

I had the next two days off work before I had to work five night shifts. It wasn't until the following Thursday that I was once again working the day shift. It was also the first opportunity I had to work with Edward again. We were each exiting the changing rooms where we had cleaned up after a hip replacement surgery and he said, "I haven't seen you in a while; how are you doing?"

I gave him a genuine smile and said, "I'm doing well. I've been keeping busy between work and redecorating my house. How about you?"

Edward returned my smile and said, "Work's been keeping me busy also. Are you done now, or do you have to work longer today?"

"I'm done, why?" I asked. I shifted my briefcase from one hand to the other. I had some patient records I wanted to review that night before my next shift.

"Well, I have something I want to tell you; and um, I thought maybe we could go get some dinner or a drink or something?" Edward asked shyly.

"Are you asking me out on a date Edward?" I asked him with a teasing tone in my voice.

He rubbed the back of his neck and stammered, "Uh, maybe? Yes, no, I don't know. You're probably not ready to date yet. I'm so stupid. Forget I asked. I'll just see you tomorrow." His face had flushed red and he turned around and started to walk a different direction than the exit.

"Hey Edward?" I called to his retreating form. He paused and I continued, "I'm in the mood for deep dish pizza and a beer." He turned and walked toward me again with his famous crooked smile on his face.

He took my briefcase from my hand and said, "I know just the place." When we got to the restaurant, there was a wait for a table and we spent the time at the bar. I was sipping a blonde ale when Edward's phone rang. "It's the hospital; I'll be right back," he said as he left the bar and stepped outside where it was quieter.

"Hey Bella," a booming voice called to me from across the bar. I looked around for the source and my eyes landed on a familiar face.

"Jake!" I called out happily. He weaved through the crowd of people in the bar that were also waiting for a table. When he finally reached my bar stool, I stood on the lower rung of the stool and threw my arms around his neck for a quick hug. "It's been too long Jake. How have you been?" I asked Emmett's former roommate. Jake frequently appeared at the different social events that our group of friends attended.

"Good, good," he replied. "I talked to Emmett last week and he told me about you and Carlisle. Are you doing alright?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, I am. The divorce will be final on Tuesday, I have five days left and I can hardly wait."

"I understand that feeling. My divorce with Vanessa dragged out forever and by the end I was just ready to move on with my life," he answered.

"How's little Rachel? She's probably not so little anymore. What is she now, four, five? We really need to get together to catch up sometime," I said remembering the adorable brunette with pigtails from Emmett and Rosalie's Labor Day barbeque.

"Rachel will be five in April. She's doing well; she loves preschool. Vanessa has her next weekend. What do you say we go out either Friday or Saturday and catch up a bit? There's a new Japanese restaurant that just opened north of the city and I'd love to take you," Jake asked me.

I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip as I thought about his request. I had always liked Jake and I definitely found him attractive; but I had never considered going on a date with him. If I was honest with myself, before Carlisle cheated on me, I had never considered going on a date with anyone else. I glanced out the window to where Edward was still talking on his cell phone and then looked back to Jake who was patiently waiting for my answer. "Sure Jake, it would be nice to go out with you next Saturday night," I replied. I knew Alice and Rosalie would go crazy when they learned of my two dates.

His answering smile lit up his face. "Great! Do you still have the same cell phone number from last year?" he asked.

I nodded and he said, "I'll call you next week to make arrangements. My coworker's signaling me that our table's ready. See you later, Bella." A man across the bar was waving to get Jake's attention. He kissed my forehead and walked away before I could even say goodbye.

Edward returned a couple of minutes later. "Sorry about that. I did a surgery consult this morning and transferred the case to cardiology and the cardiologist had some questions regarding tomorrow's surgery," he told me as he slid his phone into his pocket and sat down on the stool next to mine.

I shrugged and said, "I understand; you don't have to make excuses to me. Let me guess, it was Dr. Newton right?"

Edward laughed and answered, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

I smirked and said, "I saw you through the window pinching the bridge of your nose. You looked frustrated and there's only one cardiologist that can bring out that response. I'm scheduled to do the anesthesia for that surgery tomorrow morning at eight."

Edward threw he head back and laughed before he said, "Oh you poor thing! Does he question you the entire time, asking if you really know what you're doing? Does he hover over you as you're working and tell you that's not the way he'd do it?"

My eyes opened wide and I replied, "Yes! Every time! He may be a good heart surgeon; but if he administered anesthesia, every single patient would be dead! Does he pinch your ass too?"

Edward laughed even harder and shook his head. "Thankfully he has never pinched my ass; though he did check me out as we were changing after a surgery once."

I couldn't help but giggle at him. We were both still laughing as we were lead to our table. We calmed down enough to place an order for our pizza. We easily agreed to the toppings and I realized that even something as simple as discussing what to put on a pizza was fun to do with Edward.

As we waited for our food to arrive, I brought up the topic that Edward had briefly addressed when he asked me out to dinner at the hospital. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked as I sipped my beer.

Edward looked confused for a second before he answered, "Oh yeah, I did want to tell you something. This might be a violation of HIPPA, but as you were still listed as the spouse, and emergency contact and there was a valid power of attorney and medical forms authorization filed, I feel I can tell you this without repercussions."

My curiosity was peaked. I had easily concluded his story had to do with Carlisle, so I nodded for him to continue.

Edward leaned forward as if he were going to tell me a secret and said, "I occasionally moonlight down at County Hospital. Last Friday night, I was called down to the ER for a consultation for Carlisle. I could tell he wasn't pleased to see me; but he was in too much pain to complain about me being there. There were quite a few things going on with him. First, the resident wasn't the only one that hit him in the nose the previous Friday night. After he left the doctor's lounge, his nose was punched, kicked, and then had yet another encounter with a door. Second, the idiot didn't get treatment for the lice, not knowing what they were since they were so small and you couldn't see them without a microscope. He had quite the infection going. He had infected skin abrasions from all the scratching he had done over the previous week. The lice had actually spread down his thighs and up into his chest hair. He thought he had hives so he tried hydrocortisone cream instead of coming into the hospital. The third thing wrong, and the reason the ER had called me down for a surgical consult, was that he had severe swelling, pain, inflammation, and dislocated testicles. All he would tell us was that three different women had kneed him within the course of an hour. He kept thinking everything would get better so he didn't come in earlier.

There was a Urologist on call and he ended up coming in to deal with the testicular surgery. Due to the trauma he experienced and the result of the surgery, he will most likely have the risk of infertility, and chronic discomfort, especially during sexual activity. I got the pleasure of breaking Carlisle's nose again in order to set it straight."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me when Edward finished speaking. I covered my mouth and tried to compose myself. "That's terrible! But he deserved every bit of that and more. It serves him right to have pain during sex since it's his favorite activity. That doesn't make me sound like a bitter ex does it? Because I really don't give a damn about Carlisle anymore," I said, worried that Edward would think I still had some feelings for Carlisle.

Edward shook his head and replied, "Nah, you don't sound bitter at all. In fact I think your response was appropriate."

I gave Edward a sly smile and asked, "Did you see the ad one of his mistresses placed online? According to Rosalie, it's gone viral and the original has over six million hits with thousands of shares on all the different social media sites."

Edward shook his head and told me that he hadn't seen it. I pulled out my phone and found the ad to show to him. "Yikes," he exclaimed as he read it and handed my phone back to me.

"I'm sorry he did that to you. You don't deserve to be treated any less than perfect," Edward said quietly.

I blushed in response and said, "Thank you Edward."

He exhaled and took a drink of his beer before he said, "So, what were your plans tonight before I put my foot in my mouth and asked you out?"

I wiggled my eyebrows at him and said, "Oh I had big plans. I actually had to cancel my other date for the night."

Edward looked smug as he asked, "You canceled a date to go out with me?"

I nodded and replied, "Oh yeah. Ben and Jerry were quite upset to hear that we had to postpone our evening on the couch. We were planning on curling up under a blanket and spooning during the latest Star Trek movie that Emmett lent to me the other day."

Edward dropped his head into his hands and shook with silent laughter. "For a second I thought, never mind. So what kind of pint were you going to toss back with Ben and Jerry?" he played along with the slightest blush coloring his cheeks.

I smiled and answered, "It was a toss-up between Chocolate Therapy, Phish Food, and Karamel Sutra. It would have depended on my mood after fighting rush-hour traffic. Ben, Jerry, and I were also going to set Cherry Garcia out on the counter and wait until it melted before we slowly poured it down the garbage disposal. It's the only kind Carlisle liked and I found a pint in the back of the freezer this morning. I never understood how he could like that flavor."

"I know what you mean; it was never my choice either. I think it's the fact that it lacks chocolate ice cream. And, since the reference is almost completely lost on our generation, I can't imagine what the next one will think of its name. Come to think of it, that was Kate's favorite too; maybe that's a sign?" Edward ended thoughtfully.

"I thought you were an orthopedic surgeon, Edward; you never told me you were a psychiatrist as well. Tell me oh wise one, what do my choices of ice cream tell you about me?" I teased him.

He narrowed his eyes and appeared to be thinking for a moment. He smirked and said, "Well, let's see. Let's delve into the contents of the various flavors. Your choice of marshmallow shows your sweet and angelic side. You're a unifying force; you help bring everything and everyone together. Though marshmallows can get sticky and that's not a bad thing." He paused to give me a wink. My breathing speed increased at his flirtation as he continued, "Next, caramel is mouthwatering. It's smooth yet gooey, sweet yet somewhat salty; it shows that you're complex and it makes me wonder if you're the same way. Looking at the name, Karamel Sutra, shows that you have an adventurous sexual side, maybe one that hasn't been fully discovered yet." He paused again and scanned what he could see of my body above the table. I hadn't noticed but I had leaned forward slightly to hear him as his voice grew softer and sexier with each word. He leaned forward too and looked right into my eyes as he said, "And finally, all of your choices contain chocolate. It means you're seductive, passionate; because who doesn't like to enjoy something covered in decadently rich chocolate."

My eyelids had grown heavy with lust as I listened to Edward's voice that dripped sex. I felt alive, sexual, and completely at his mercy. I began to imagine getting tangled up with him in the new sheets on my new bed. I imagined running my fingers through his messy bronze hair and wondered if I could make it even messier. How would actual sex hair look on him when it already looked like he had taken a wild romp before dinner? His green eyes sparkled as he lifted one corner of his mouth to give me his sexy crooked smile. I slowly licked my lips and continued to stare at him through my hooded eyes. If the table hadn't been between us, I might have thrown myself at him.

Our gazes were broken when our pizza arrived. I felt my cheeks heat up as I settled back in my chair. I took a drink of my beer while I tried to catch my breath. I simply nodded as the waitress asked me a question. I have no idea what she asked me; though it probably had something to do with freshly grated parmesan cheese since she began to turn the grinder over the piece of pizza she had place in front of me. Edward continued to smile at me.

I hardly tasted the pizza as I ate it. I was too focused on the feelings that Edward had evoked in me. I watched as he ate and dammit if he didn't make eating pizza sexy! We flirted a little more as we ate and talked. I never imagined that my first date, post Carlisle, would be so effortless. Maybe it was because I had known Edward for so long that the awkwardness that was usually associated with a first date was gone.

After dinner, Edward walked me to my car. I leaned my back against the driver's door and he stood in front of me. "I had a nice time tonight. Thanks for coming out with me," Edward said quietly showing me once again his shy side.

"I had a good time too. I'm glad you asked me, even if you did take it back right away," I teased him.

He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm glad you stopped me from walking away from you."

I nodded and replied, "Me too."

He took a step closer to me and my heart began to race. He brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear and I looked up at him. I licked my lips and internally panicked. Was I ready to kiss someone else? Edward's forehead crinkled as he looked into my eyes, probably trying to decipher the emotions crossing my face. "May I kiss you?" he breathily whispered.

My panic was instantly replaced with the desire to know what it was like to feel Edward Masen's lips on mine. I silently nodded and he took a small step closer to me and my breathing got heavy. His right hand softly cupped my cheek. He slowly leaned down and I felt his breath mingle with mine as his mouth moved closer. I glanced once more into his eyes and I realized that he was taking his time to allow me the opportunity to back out of the kiss if that's what I wanted. My eyes slipped closed and I rose up onto my toes to press my lips against his. The pressure was soft; his lips slid smoothly against mine. Once he realized I wasn't going to pull away, his hand moved from my cheek to the back of my head where it wound its way into my long brown hair. His left hand landed on my hip.

Edward gently tilted my head to the side and deepened the kiss. My hands moved from where they had fallen against his chest to the hair at the nape of his neck. I pressed my body against Edward's and he pushed back until I was pinned between him and my car. Time passed as our lips moved together. It could have been five minutes, ten minutes, or even an hour. I lost track of everything except the feel of his lips and his body on mine. Eventually, he softened the kiss again and gently pulled away. He rested his forehead against mine while we tried to catch our breath. His nose dragged lightly against mine before he placed a kiss on the tip of my nose and then my forehead and took a step backwards.

My lust-glazed eyes slowly opened and I watched as he ran his hands through his hair. His intense green eyes met my brown ones and he took a step back toward me. He pressed his lips against mine once more for a firm, fast kiss before he stepped back again. I couldn't contain the grin that lit up my face. He had a matching grin on his face and he once again ran his hands through his hair. His lips were swollen and I imagined mine were also. He had never looked sexier to me.

"Wow," he whispered. My head bobbed in response. "May I call you sometime; maybe do something like this again?" he asked tentatively. Still shocked by the intense feelings the kiss had inspired in me, all I could do was nod again.

Edward smiled and said, "Good night, Bella. I'll see you at work tomorrow." He brushed another soft kiss across my lips before he turned around and walked to his car. I stared after him until he waved before getting into his car. I slowly raised one hand and held it in the air until laughter from another group of people walking to their cars shook me out of my trance.

When I got home, I called Alice, knowing that most likely Rosalie would be with her.

"Hey, you're home late. Did your surgery run long?" Alice asked as she answered the call.

"No, is Rose there too?" I asked anxiously.

"Of course. The guys are at the basketball game tonight and we're going over some case files. Let me put the phone on speaker," Alice said. I heard a beep and knew they could both hear me.

"Hi Bella. What's up?" Rosalie asked.

"I…date…Edward, Jake…next weekend, kissed Edward, made out…Edward," I said quickly and in one breath, completely overwhelmed by my night that I could barely get the words out at all.

"Whoa, hold on a second. Either this is the worst reception ever, or we're missing a few details. I think you need slow down and try saying that again," Rosalie stated.

"Yeah, Bella. It sounded like you said you went on a date with Edward tonight, you have a date with Jake next weekend, and that you kissed, no, made out with Edward. That can't be right, so please fill in some details," Alice begged.

"Yup, that's what happened," I said while I walked up the stairs to my room.

"Wow. Um, let's start with the Jake thing because it sounds like a shorter story," Rosalie requested.

I pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt and sat down on the edge of my bed. I took off my shoes as I said, "I ran into Jake tonight at the bar in the restaurant and he told me he heard about my divorce. I said we should catch up sometime and he asked me to dinner next Saturday at a new Japanese restaurant. At first I was excited; but now I don't even know if I want to go after the night I had with Edward."

Alice chimed in, "How about you tell us what happened with Edward, from the beginning, and we'll help you figure out what to do about Jake." I put my phone on speaker as I changed my clothes.

"Okay, so Edward and I finished surgery and he asked me out. I hesitated and he tried to take it back, so I asked him out to dinner. We went out for pizza where I met Jake while Edward was outside on a call to the hospital. We flirted throughout dinner and he completely turned me on with a discussion of how my choices in ice cream describe me. He used the words sweet, sticky, mouthwatering, seductive, and passionate. I can't explain it right, so don't ask; but trust me that it was hot. Then he walked me to my car and he asked if he could kiss me. Holy shit; that was the hottest kiss I have ever had in my life. I have no idea how long we stood next to my car making out like teenagers. My body felt alive wherever he touched or wherever it touched him. My lips are still swollen and I can still taste him. I don't think I've ever felt that satisfied in my life, even after having sex. His hands never even left my back or my face or neck; but he was pressed up against me and all I wanted to do was drag him somewhere else. AHHHHH," I ended with a squeal.

"Wow! Um, so all that must mean you're over Carlisle and ready to date?" Alice questioned.

"Oh fuck. Carlisle. I'm just as bad as he is. I'm still married and I was kissing another man. I'm not any better than him and his whores," I whined.

"Wait a minute, Bella. You are nothing like Carlisle. You are within your right to see someone else; you're legally separated. Your divorce will be final on Tuesday and all you did was kiss Edward. Forget about Carlisle. Are you really ready to date?" Rosalie asked me.

I fell backwards on my bed, my hair splayed across my comforter and I clapped my hand to my forehead.

"Yeah Rose. I'm ready to date. I didn't think about Carlisle once tonight except when Edward was telling me a story about him and when Jake mentioned my divorce. Otherwise I lived in the moment. I really think I could fall hard for Edward. That kiss…I really can't put into words how perfect that moment, or half hour, was. He wants to call me and go out again. I agreed. What do I do about Jake?" I asked my best friends.

There was silence. In that silence I knew that Alice and Rosalie were communicating with one another. Slowly, Alice spoke, "You've been with Carlisle for so long. Edward was your first date with someone else in thirteen years. You're finally free from your husband and the dating world is open. Did you really feel excitement from the kiss, or from the fact that it wasn't Carlisle? Were you excited to be on a date with Edward, or someone that wasn't Carlisle? Is Edward a rebound, or the real thing?"

Without thinking I said, "Edward's the real thing."

Rosalie interjected, "He might be, Bella; he really might be. But, and I say this lovingly, you need to go out with Jake. I'm not saying that Jake _is_ the one for you and that Edward _isn't_. But if you want to know for sure that what you felt for Edward wasn't just an in the moment thing, you need to go out with someone else."

I sighed and dug the heels of my hands into my eyes. She was right. If what I felt for Edward was real, I needed to make sure. I liked Jake. I had a lot of fun in the past with Jake. I could envision a relationship with Jake. But I could see the same thing with Edward.

I picked up my phone and took it off speaker. I held the phone to my ear and breathed out heavily. "You're right, Rose. I owe it to all three of us to go on a date with Jake. Hell, maybe I'll realize that neither of them are the right man for me. But just so you know, no matter how everything ends up, that kiss with Edward was the best kiss I have ever experienced. I could fall in love with that man based on his kissing alone. Okay, now that you've both brought me back down to earth, I have some files I need to look over before tomorrow. I work a sixty-hour shift starting tomorrow. When I get home Sunday night, I'll probably crash. Can we get together for lunch on Monday to prepare for Tuesday's court date?"

Rosalie and Alice agreed to meet me at a café by their office and we ended our call. I lay in silence on my bed and reflected on my night. While Rosalie was right that I needed to go out with Jake, I couldn't help but think that I had somehow found the perfect man for me. Was it just excitement? No, it was because it was Edward.

I ignored the files that were calling for my attention, set my alarm for an hour earlier than normal, and crawled beneath my sheets. I closed my eyes and relived the kiss I had shared with Edward. I could still feel his hands as they gently massaged my lower back and tangled in my hair. I traced my finger across my lips and remembered the taste and sensations that lips left on mine. I recalled how his tall, lean body felt pressed against mine.

I drifted to sleep and directly into dreams about Edward. His long, nimble, surgeon's fingers brought me to heights of pleasure I had never thought to imagine. His hands caressed my body. His mouth worshiped mine. He ravished me completely. My alarm jolted me out of the best dream of my life and even though it hadn't been real, I felt utterly satisfied. I had a strong feeling that the real Edward would be even better than my dream had made him. Jake didn't stand a chance.

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A/N: I'm writing this story for you—please let me know what you thought about this chapter or the story in general! You know the drill by now; choose a letter that best describes your thoughts and enter it in the review box below. (Yes, you may pick more than one!)

This chapter was:

A) Too much.

B) Too little.

C) Just right.

D) Completely horrible.

E) (Please share your own comments)

I'd even be happy if you shared your favorite flavor of ice cream with me! Thank you!


	8. Chapter Six

A/N: Sorry for the wait, our household got sick, we adopted a 7 week old puppy, and I had my favorite cousin visit for a few days—so basically life happened! This chapter may have gotten away from me…enjoy!

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_Just keep moving forward and don't give a shit about what anyone thinks. Do what you have to do, for you. ~ Johnny Depp_

**Chapter Six**

"Has Carlisle's lawyer sent you anything?" I questioned my friends as we met at the courthouse on Tuesday morning.

"Not a thing. I'm hoping that he isn't going to pull something today that gets this all delayed. If he does try to claim you forgot a possession of his or something was ruined or broken, how do you want to proceed? If I were you, I would tell him to fuck himself since you've been more than fair already," Alice told me.

"Let's just come up with a number if that's the case and I'll pay him for whatever it is within reason. Consult me first, but it's not worth dragging this out for a miniscule amount of money," I reasoned with a sigh.

The judge was already seated behind the bench when we entered the small courtroom. He appeared to be in his sixties and his hair was grey with a few streaks of black remaining. His skin was so pale that it looked almost translucent. He was shuffling papers in front of him and we took our seats at one of the tables facing him. A court reporter sat off to the side of the judge's bench, ready to transcribe the proceedings, and a clerk sat next to the reporter.

A couple minutes after we arrived, Carlisle and a young, nervous looking man entered the courtroom. They sat at the other table and Carlisle's lawyer took a thick folder out his briefcase. As he tried to place it on the table, he dumped its content on the floor. His hands shook as he tried to gather all the pieces of paper and get them back in order. The judge tilted his head to the side slightly and watched the man fumble. As soon as the papers were in order, he opened his laptop, hitting the back of it into the pitcher of water on the table. He reached out and caught the pitcher before it spilled everywhere but missed catching the two empty water glasses and they fell off the table. He ran around the front of the table, picked up the glasses, and placed them next to the pitcher.

"Is everything in order now?" the judge questioned. The lawyer turned bright red and gave a brief, shaky nod before he sat down in his chair next to Carlisle.

I studied Carlisle as he sat in the leather rolling chair. He looked like he had aged ten years since I had last seen him. His eyes had light bruises around them from the re-breaking of his nose in order to set it. He seemed to sit just fine, so I assumed that he wasn't in pain from his surgery at that moment. He had managed to wear a suit; but since he had never learned how to iron his clothes, his shirt and pants were wrinkled. He looked exhausted and miserable. A part of me pitied him, seeing the shell of Carlisle rather than his normal outgoing, put-together appearance.

"Alright let's begin. Everything said today will be recorded for the court's records. I am the Honorable John Aro. We are here today to settle the divorce between Petitioner Isabella Marie Cullen and Respondent Carlisle Joseph Cullen. I've read the petition and I was given the reply from Mr. Cullen this morning. Apparently there is no contesting the divorce, just the terms of the divorce; is that correct?" Judge Aro asked Carlisle's lawyer.

The man cleared his throat twice before he replied in a squeaky voice, "That's correct Your Honor. My client doesn't agree to the amount of money that the petitioner is asking for, we believe it is excessive. And there is also the matter of some of my client's missing possessions."

Alice narrowed her eyes at the man and stood up at our table. "Excuse me Your Honor. My name is Alice Whitlock and this is my co-counselor, Rosalie McCarty. We were not aware of any contention to the petition. May we have a moment to look over the respondent's reply?" she asked professionally. The judge nodded and gestured for the lawyer to give Alice a copy of the reply.

Alice, Rosalie, and I studied the reply. We learned the nervous lawyer's name was Eric Yorkie. Rosalie pulled his information up on her laptop and whispered to me that he had just passed the Bar and this was most likely his first case. Carlisle claimed I still had his favorite t-shirt, a card table, and a camera.

"That's the card table Emmett broke like five years ago when he tried to stand on it, right?" Rosalie asked me.

I nodded and said, "Yeah, and his favorite t-shirt was thrown away when he spilled mustard all over it and stained it. The camera was in one of the boxes and we have a picture of it in the box. Offer him a hundred dollars. That's more than fair since he knows both of those items have been gone for years and he probably just didn't look for the camera." Alice nodded and started to flip through the paperwork of his possessions to find the listing and picture of the camera.

Rosalie picked up a pen and started to make notes. "He can't contest any of these amounts. He signed the prenuptial agreement. He wants the amounts reduced because it practically will bankrupt him and he still needs to provide child support for two children and have living expenses. It also states that he doesn't currently hold a job and will not have income until he can find other employment. He's also asking for a lengthy payment plan for whatever amounts he will owe."

I looked at the paper and then at Carlisle. His head was in his hands and his shoulders were slumped. I bit my lower lip and tried to think of what I wanted. "I don't want to give him too much time or else I have a feeling he'll be broke and never pay; but I'm willing to allow a reasonable payment plan. Absolutely no reduction in the amount though. He doesn't deserve a break," I said firmly.

Both Alice and Rosalie nodded and then Alice stood up to speak to the judge. "Your Honor, if you, Counselor Yorkie, and Mr. Cullen can turn to page four of the possessions list and also reference picture number two hundred twenty, you will all see that the camera was in fact transferred to Mr. Cullen. Dr. Cullen stated that the card table was broken years ago and the t-shirt was disposed of after being stained. She stated that Mr. Cullen knew about the disposal of both items; however, she is willing to allow a $100 concession for those items. We believe that is more than fair in this case."

The judge and Eric pulled up the picture of the camera and we watched Carlisle nod in confirmation that it was in fact the one he said was missing. Judge Aro made a note on the papers in front of him and said, "I will consider the missing camera issue resolved and award a $100 credit for the table and t-shirt. Moving forward, regarding the amount of money the respondent owes to the petitioner, how does Dr. Cullen respond?"

Alice sat down and Rosalie stood and said, "Your Honor, Mr. Cullen knew the terms of the prenuptial agreement when he signed it. He violated the agreement during the second year of marriage; and therefore, owes our client for each year the marriage continued after the infidelity occurred, as set forth in the agreement. Dr. Cullen fulfilled her part of the agreement and has given him the marital property that is rightfully his from the first two years of the marriage and has even given him property that she was not required to give him. The amounts of money owed to Dr. Cullen are not arbitrary numbers; they are the specific amounts as set forth in the document Mr. Cullen signed. Our client is not asking for any additional funds. She simply wants what is owed to her with no reduction. Dr. Cullen has agreed to a _reasonable_ payment plan if necessary."

Judge Aro said, "Thank you Counselors McCarty and Whitlock. Counselor Yorkie, do you have anything else to add or refute?"

Carlisle looked at his lawyer and shook his head. His lawyer stood up and said, "No, Your Honor."

Judge Aro nodded his head said, "Please give me a few minutes while I go over things and I'll make a judgment shortly."

Rosalie turned to me and asked, "You're doing okay, right?"

I nodded and replied, "I'm fine, Rose. I was worried Carlisle would throw a curveball and do something to delay this; but now I know it will all be over soon."

"You will definitely be a free woman for your date with Jake on Saturday," Alice added quietly.

"I'm falling in love with Edward. We spent all of our lunch yesterday talking about how I want Edward, not Jake. We were supposed to be talking about this court case and we barely said ten words regarding it. You know how I feel Alice; and I'm cancelling the date with Jake. I never should have accepted it when I was out with Edward. At the time I was happy to see an old friend and even though I knew I was accepting a date, it was an impulsive move that I never should have made. I never thought of it as a romantic date, but rather a chance to catch up with a friend. It's Edward that I want, and I'm not being stubborn and I'm not jumping into this too soon. I don't want to get into this again, especially not here and definitely not now," I hissed at her. I knew that my friends had my best interests at heart; but they weren't listening to what I wanted and I was frustrated with their interference.

Before she could reply, the judge cleared his throat. We all became quiet and turned to face him.

He sighed heavily and began to speak. "I looked over this petition before today and had pretty much made my decision based on what I read. The fact that Mr. Cullen isn't contesting the divorce and only the amount of money owed to Dr. Cullen makes it easy to decide. Now, regarding the money owed. There will be no reduction except for the $100 concession we discussed a few minutes ago. Dr. Cullen agreed to a reasonable payment plan and I believe that reasonable means four payments within the next four months. In addition to the amounts listed in the prenuptial agreement, I am ordering Mr. Cullen to pay for all court costs and to reimburse Dr. Cullen for any expenses she has incurred in this divorce process. That includes her lawyer fees, filing fees, and the costs to have Mr. Cullen's possessions carefully moved and stored. I have looked over the bank statements that were submitted and the money is currently in your accounts. If the money is not paid in full after four months, you will be in direct violation of a court order and your future wages will be garnished. Do you have any questions Mr. Cullen?" Carlisle shook his head without speaking.

Judge Aro glared at Carlisle and then said, "I've heard thousands of divorce cases over the years, some amicable, many unpleasant, some downright ugly. It's sometimes difficult to decide who gets what and what's actually fair. Normally this is a long, drawn out process of mediation and fighting. Your case is by far _not_ the worst I've had to settle; however, Mr. Cullen, the way you treated your wife was despicable. If you had wanted to be with other women, you should have had the decency to divorce her eight years ago. If you had done that, you would not currently be in the position to owe her a quarter of a million dollars. I hereby grant the divorce as asked for Petitioner Isabella Marie Cullen. Dr. Cullen I wish you the best of luck in the future. Mr. Cullen, I believe you need to reevaluate your life and hopefully your future decisions will be better ones. This case is dismissed; please sign the divorce decree before you leave; the final copy will be mailed to you." Judge Aro stood from his seat behind the bench and disappeared through a door in the back of the courtroom.

Alice and Rosalie hugged me as soon as the judge was gone. While they gathered their papers and laptops, Carlisle signed the divorce decree. He glared at me as he scratched his name onto the document with more pressure than was necessary. After he threw the pen down, he grabbed his jacket and the forms handed to him by the court clerk, mumbled something to his lawyer and stormed out the door. Eric Yorkie shook as he gathered his own papers.

Alice walked over to him while I signed the decree. I overheard her ask, "You knew this was a case you couldn't win; why did you try to fight it at all?"

"I, I didn't want to fff…fffight it. But I'm, but I'm new to the firm and my boss assigned this to me. I, I told him you were the best and we, um, we wouldn't win. I never wanted to go against you and Counselor McCarty. I, I've been so nervous about facing you. I'm glad that, that he didn't have a leg to stand on, because I know that if I had to actually debate either of you, I wouldn't have stood a chance. I, I hope I never come up against you again. I, I think I should go now," Eric stuttered before picking up his briefcase and running out of the courtroom.

Alice turned toward Rosalie and me with a confused look on her face and asked, "Are we really that scary, Rose?" Rosalie nodded her head while laughing. Alice's face broke out into a broad, evil looking grin and she answered, "Good!"

"Let's go get a late breakfast. We need to celebrate!" I exclaimed.

* * *

That night, my first night as an officially single woman, I had my date that I had postponed with Ben and Jerry. We did everything I told Edward we were going to do. We placed the disgusting pint of Cherry Garcia on kitchen counter and went into the living room. We curled up on the couch under a fleece blanket and watched the newest Star Trek movie. A pint of Chocolate Therapy was consumed in the first half hour of the movie. When the movie was finished, Ben, Jerry, and I slowly poured the melted Cherry Garcia down the garbage disposal and took delight in the grinding noise it made when a chunk of chocolate fell into the spinning death trap. As the last pink swirl of melted cherry ice cream disappeared down the drain, I felt like I was washed completely clean of Carlisle.

I had just gone back into the living room to do some channel surfing when my cell phone rang.

I answered and said, "Hey Jake!"

"Hi Bella. How are you doing? I thought I'd wait to call you until today. Your divorce was final today, right? How did it go?" he asked sounding a little unsure.

"Yeah, I'm a free woman as of 9:30 this morning," I said giddily.

Jake laughed and said, "Wow, it sounds like it went well. I wish I had left my divorce sounding that happy; but that's neither here nor there. So, I have a confession."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, clearly confused.

Jake sighed heavily and I imagined him running his hands through his black hair. He paused before he said, "I met a woman this past Saturday and I think I'm falling in love with her."

"That's wonderful Jake!" I exclaimed.

"Are you sure you're not upset? I asked you out for Saturday night and now I'm dating someone else. I feel like the biggest asshole in the world," Jake told me. I could hear the anguish in his voice.

"Stop Jake. I'm really happy for you. I've been feeling horribly guilty about our date. I accepted your invitation while I was out for dinner with another man. At the time I thought it was a casual date with a colleague; but it turned into so much more. The only reason I didn't cancel with you right away was that Alice and Rose convinced me that in order to figure out if my feelings for Edward were real, I should see if I had any for you. They think I was just caught up in the excitement of being free from Carlisle; but I wasn't. Every moment that passes just convinces me more that he isn't a rebound and he's the right man for me. I'm pretty sure I love Edward, Jake."

"Edward, as in Edward Masen? The kicker at Northwestern? I thought I saw him at the restaurant that night. Man, I haven't spent time with him in a few years. His ex-wife Kate and Vanessa were sorority sisters and used to get together occasionally. He and I used to get along pretty well. Instead of cancelling this date completely, what do you say we make it a double date? I can call and change the reservation."

I smiled and answered, "Sure Jake; I think I'd like that, well as long as Edward isn't working. So, tell me about this girl that's capturing your heart."

He laughed and answered, "Her name's Angela and she's a high school math teacher. Rachel and I were at the children's museum on Saturday and I turned around for a second and she disappeared. I was frantically trying to find her. I was yelling her name and looking over and under everything I could find. I turned a corner and ran directly into a panicked woman. She was yelling for her son Marcus. _Have you seen a brunette five year old boy wearing a bright orange shirt, jeans, and bright green shoes?_ she asked me. I told her no and asked her if she had seen a brunette four year old girl with pigtails, red leggings and a red and white polka dot shirt. She hadn't. We started to search together since we were moving in the same direction. We found them both holding hands and sitting on the floor listening to one of the museum's volunteers that was reading a story in one of the side rooms. Relieved to find them safe, we let them finish listening to the story and talked while we waited. Rachel and Marcus go to the same preschool and had run off to play together when they saw the other there. Angela and I spent the rest of the museum visit together and then she and her son joined Rachel and me for dinner at Rainforest Café. Then they came over to my condo afterwards and stayed until eleven. We spent Sunday together again and then she and I went out alone last night. It was an instant connection and it's like I've known her for years."

"You sound happy Jake," I replied.

"I am Bella; I really am happy," he laughed while he was talking.

We talked for a few more minutes before the conversation turned to our jobs.

"So, you're an anesthesiologist, right? And you work at Northwestern Memorial? How do you like it there?" Jake questioned.

I smiled and said, "I am, I do, and I love it. I work a lot and have some crazy shifts, but it's always different. You're in insurance, right? Where do you work?"

Jake mumbled his answer and I laughed. "Did you just say what I think you said?" I teased him.

"Yes," he answered sheepishly.

I snorted quietly as I asked, "What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?"

"Oh fuck," Jake swore.

"What?" I asked in between the quiet giggles that were escaping.

Jake sighed heavily and said dejectedly, "I'm wearing khakis...and a red polo shirt." I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. I was gasping for air as I pictured Jake looking exactly like the guy in the commercial. Before long, Jake joined in my laughter.

"Laugh it up; but I'll have you know, I am rocking the khakis and red polo shirt today. I look so good that I may just have to wear this outfit again on Saturday night," he teased.

"Oh, please no. I won't be able to look at you all night without laughing if you do. Please wear something else," I begged as my laughing faded slightly.

Jake gave me an over-exaggerated sigh as if I was really putting him out and said, "Fine. If you insist. I have to go now, Bella. Rachel's yelling for me from her bed. I'll text you the name and address of the restaurant and Angela and I'll see you and Edward there at 7 on Saturday. Good night, Bella."

"Night Jake," I answered before the call ended.

* * *

_Shit, shit, shit_, I thought when I turned off the alarm on my phone after it sounded Wednesday morning. The notification on the screen read, _Mystery Date 10 am_. I had completely forgotten about the coffee date I had arranged from the dating website I had joined. I had arranged the date a couple of days after I signed up for the site and a week before I went out for pizza with Edward and I had been extremely tired at the time I replied to the message. After my date with Edward, I had focused only on him and put the other meeting completely out of my mind. When the alarm rang, I had two hours to get ready and arrive at the café. I didn't want to go; but it was way too late to message the guy to get out of the date. I didn't want to take the chance of him arriving at the café only to be stood up because I forgot to contact him earlier. I didn't know who he was; but I knew that he didn't deserve to be treated that way by me.

That first message he sent, the one that made me want to take a chance with meeting him, made me realize that I had to show up if only to prove to him that not all women were going to treat him poorly. I got ready quickly and traveled to the café across from Alice and Rosalie's office. I chose a corner table in the busy café, ordered a coffee from the waitress, and then displayed a sign with my login name on it and sat there nervously. Only five minutes passed before I chickened out, flattened the sign on the table, and pulled out a pad of paper from my briefcase to write him a note. I signaled to my waitress and when she came over, I explained to her my situation. She was more than willing to help me. She took the note from me and I continued to sit at my table with my back to the door. I pulled out a book to read as I waited. I was going to wait in the café until the waitress told me he was gone and then I would leave too. I was curious to see if he would actually come or not. As I sat there I thought about how I got myself into that predicament.

Almost two weeks had passed since I had received the first message from him. I had worked a long shift and was exhausted, but decided to check my email before I went to bed that night. There were two emails alerting me that I had messages on the website where I created the dating profile when I was trying to figure out what I wanted in a relationship. I signed into the website and read the two messages.

_Dear Bellissimo_Cigno,_

_I've been registered on this site for two years and have gone on one horrible date. It has been almost as long since I last logged in and I forgot about it until a colleague mentioned dating sites. I came online today to delete my profile. When I started to unsubscribe, I got a message that tried to entice me to stay. It was my latest match…to you. I almost clicked the x in the corner of the window to close the message; but I paused. Your profile wasn't boasting your accomplishments or begging for a date. You didn't have a scantily clad picture showing; but rather no picture at all appeared. You weren't asking for adventures; but rather looking for honesty and friendship. _

_I'll be honest with you, beautiful swan, I'm divorced and in my mid-thirties. I have no children, though I definitely want some. I love my job and even though I work long and sometimes odd hours; I wouldn't trade a minute of it. I've never contacted anyone on this site before…that one horrible date I went on nearly two years ago was with a woman that aggressively pursued me based on my profile picture. I thought I would give her a chance and the date was over in less than ten minutes. That must make me sound like a loser. What it came down to was that she lied to me and we had nothing in common. Because of her I removed my picture from my profile. _

_I could list everything I like; but that's what my profile is for. If you're not completely turned off by me yet, please read my profile. I'd love to meet for coffee if you're at all interested. I'm still planning on unsubscribing from this site; but I'll wait for your response before I do._

_Taking one more chance,_

_JR1234_

I smiled after I read JR1234's email. I looked through his profile and he seemed like a nice guy; a guy I might actually like. The second message was sent not long after the other one.

_Dear Bellissimo_Cigno,_

_Your profile came up as a match for mine. I've been burned before by women that are supposedly my perfect match; but I keep trying to find a woman that I will like. I'm divorced and 35 years old; I have no children and I'm not really sure if I want any. I've had the opportunity to look at your profile; but you don't have a picture. Can you send me one so I can know if you're someone I want to date? _

_MyNameIsBond_

I immediately replied to the second message and said that I wasn't interested, that I didn't want to date someone who would judge me worthy or not based on my picture. It's like judging a book by its cover and I hated people that did that.

The first message though? It seemed so honest that I couldn't help but reply in kind.

_Dear JR1234,_

_Thank you for your message. I was never actually expecting anyone to contact me on this site. I joined two days ago hoping it would help me to figure out what I was looking for in a relationship, rather than to find an actual date. Your response intrigued me though. I looked over your profile and I have to admit that we seem like a great match. I like the mystery of not knowing what you look like before a date; as you've obviously noticed, I also have no picture on my profile. I want you to know that looks don't matter to me. It's all about making a connection. I hope that doesn't make you think I'm hideous and avoiding sending you my picture just so you won't run for the hills. I'm not a model or anything; but I like to think I'm relatively pretty. _

_I'm nervous about meeting someone I don't know; but I'm not afraid to take a chance. I have a lot going on in the next couple of weeks; would you be willing to meet Wednesday the seventh at 10 am at Espresso Café downtown? We can each have a sign with our login names displayed so we know who we're meeting. _

_Sincerely,_

_Bellissimo_Cigno_

The reply came the next morning and simply stated, _I'd love to meet you on the seventh, Bellisimo_Cigno. ~ JR1234 _

I fiddled with the corner of the sign I made and hoped that JR1234 wouldn't come looking for me before he got my note. I tried not to look toward the door as it opened and closed repeatedly with the change of customers. I didn't want to seem like I was waiting for anyone. I attempted to read my book; but I couldn't focus.

I worried my lip as I thought about the note I had just written and I wondered if it had been delivered, or if it would remain with the waitress.

_Dear JR1234_

_I didn't stand you up, I swear. I'm here; but please read the rest of this note before you look for me. _

_Since I value honesty above all else, I need to be completely honest with you. I went on a date the other night with a man I've known for years and he made me feel things I didn't realize I could feel. My friends told me that I owed it to him to make sure my feelings for him were real and not impulsive; they suggested I go out with someone else. At first I agreed with them because I didn't want to hurt Edward; but the more that I've thought about it, the more I've come to realize that everything I'm feeling for him is real. I'm telling you this not as an excuse to avoid meeting you; but rather to let you know that my heart is already gone. I'm in love. I completely forgot about this date until this morning and it was too late to message you to cancel. I'm sorry that your one last chance on the site was taken on me; and that by not contacting you sooner, I'm probably confirming in your mind that all women are horrible. _

_I'm sorry I wasted your time today and had you travel all the way here just to find out that there would be no date. I wish you the best of luck in finding the one meant for you; you seem like a nice, honest guy and some woman out there will be lucky to find you. Don't give up on love because of two bad online dating experiences. _

_Sincerely,_

_Bellissimo_Cigno_

The waitress appeared beside my table with a carafe of coffee in order to refill my cup. She slid a letter in front of me and walked away without saying a word.

I picked it up and without glancing around first, unfolded it and began to read.

_Dear Bellissimo_Cigno,_

_I'm a jackass. I've fallen in love with a woman I've known for years and I forgot all about our date until last night. I deleted my dating profile after arranging this meeting with you, forgetting that it was my only link to you. Once I realized that I could no longer meet you, I was unable to tell you. My account wasn't retrievable and I didn't have the time to subscribe again just to find you and message you. I felt I owed it to you to at least show up and let you know that not all guys are jerks and that online dating might still be right for you. I didn't want your first date to be as horrible as mine was; but by not even giving you a chance, I'm pretty much ensuring that it is as horrible as mine was. _

_I hope you're able to find love with someone else. I'm sorry that it won't be me, but my heart belongs to another cigno._

_Sincerely,_

_JR1234_

I smiled and folded the note in half again. I sighed in relief and picked up my coffee cup. I took a sip and set it down only a second before a piece of cardstock with the name JR1234 slid in front of me. My breath hitched when I read the name. My eyes darted up as a man sat down in the chair across from me. He stared at me with a soft smile while my hand flew to cover my mouth and my eyes started to fill with tears. He reached across the table and cupped my cheek in his hand. I leaned into his large, warm hand and moved my hand from my mouth to grasp his. "Do you really?" I managed to whisper.

"Yes, my beautiful swan. Yes, I love you. Do you really?" he whispered back to me.

I nodded my head. His other hand found my other cheek and before I had time to blink, he leaned across the table and his lips were on mine. I once again I lost all track of my surroundings as I got lost in Edward's kiss. It was the sound of a chair from a nearby table scraping loudly against the floor that brought me down to earth again. I pulled back from the kiss and stared into Edward's green eyes. "Yes, I love you Edward," I was finally able to say.

He settled back into his chair; but his hands remained clasped in mine. "Is it too soon?" he asked with an uneasy look on his face.

I shook my head and then told him everything I had been thinking. "Just over a month ago I was married and ignorant of the biggest problems in my marriage. I wasn't happy though. Then I found out that not only was I unhappy, but I was also being screwed over by the man that was supposed to be everything to me. But he wasn't everything to me and he hadn't been for a very, very long time. I never felt for Carlisle what I feel for you Edward. Rose and Alice keep trying to tell me that I need to be single to figure out what I want. I've already figured out what I want and it's you. You're not a rebound. To me a rebound relationship is a relationship that comes too quickly after a divorce and is used as a distraction to avoid the pain that came from said divorce. There is no pain from my divorce. It's in the past and I'm moving forward.

Time-wise, yes, it's fast. But whose timeline are we supposed to follow? Are we supposed to dance around each other for six months and then go on a date so that it appears I've healed from my divorce? After that date, are we supposed nervously wait a week to do it again? Then after that second date finally kiss? Then maybe after another four or five months it might be okay to admit we have strong feelings for one another? Then wait another two years and finally get married? Who gets to tell us when we can and cannot do something in our lives?

Moving fast doesn't mean that it's wrong or that it won't work. My parents met, dated, and got married all within two months. They were happily married for thirty-two years when they were killed in a car accident four years ago. I don't know if you remember that accident but you showed more honest sympathy for me than my own husband did. You were with me when I got the news and you held me while I cried until Alice and Rose arrived. Granted you called me Dr. Cullen and not Bella; but there was compassion that Carlisle never offered me. Sure he was there for me; but he wasn't the person I ran to when I was upset and he should have been, instead it was Alice and Rose.

We know each other Edward and we've known each other for years. We have similarities and we have differences. We practically wrote the same letter to cancel this date with who we thought was a stranger. We work well together and we enjoy spending time together. We don't know everything about each other; but I want to learn. Is it too soon? For another couple, maybe. For us? No, I don't think it's too soon. Do you?"

I held my breath after my Hamlet-like soliloquy. The right corner of Edward's mouth lifted in a sexy, easy smirk. "I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks about the timeline of our relationship. I love you. I'm all in, Bella."

I gave him a huge smile in return and said, "Me too." We sat and stared at one another quietly until I asked, "Why was your login name JR1234?"

Edward smiled sheepishly and answered, "I wasn't that creative when I made it. My father is Edward Sr. so I chose Jr. and some numbers. I didn't want anything that actually identified me. I liked your name Bellissimo_Cigno, beautiful swan. It is so fitting. I want to take you out; but I'm on for the next forty-eight hours starting at one. I should actually get going; I have some paperwork I need to do before my shift. Do you have to work today?"

I nodded and replied, "I have the same schedule. Maybe we can spend our down time together. How would you feel about a double date with Jacob Black and his new girlfriend? I was supposed to go out with him on Saturday; but we both canceled on each other. I told him all about you and he told me all about Angela. There's this new Japanese restaurant and he asked if we wanted to join him and Angela. I was planning on asking you today at work if I saw you."

Edward tipped his side to side as he thought about it and finally answered, "Yeah, I guess that will be okay. I'd like the night alone with you; but it's been awhile since I've seen Jake."

"Great! Well, I need to run across the street and see Alice before I go to work. She said she had some files for me and something I needed to sign. Are you scheduled to do the spinal fusion at four today?" I asked.

Edward nodded and said, "Yeah, I have the last pre-op appointment right at one. The tumor she had was removed three days ago and she's having some scans done this morning to ensure that everything was removed. She's choosing to do the bone graft since she's young and the donor bone will likely be the best chance she has to help stimulate the growth of healthy bone. The surgery should be relatively easy. Maybe I can buy you dinner in the cafeteria afterwards." He added a wink at the end.

"That sounds like a plan Edward. This morning has been so different than I thought it would be and I'm incredibly glad that it was. I never imagined that you would be the one I was meeting today. Alice is going to go crazy when I tell her this story. Hopefully I'm not late for work. I'll see you at the hospital," I said as I put some money on the table to pay for my coffee and tip and then stood up from my chair. Edward helped me with my jacket and then walked me outside the cafe. He gave me another toe-curling kiss and then walked down the street to the parking garage where he had parked his car.

I watched him walk until he blended into the crowd on the sidewalk and then I crossed the street to go to the law office. I had barely stepped inside the door to the building when Alice flew into the lobby and practically tackled me with the force with which she grabbed onto me.

"What the hell was that Isabella? I happened to glance out my window and I saw you wrapped all around a man. You're supposed to have a date with Jake on Saturday, you swear you only want Edward, and now I see you making out with some guy in the middle of one of the busiest sidewalks in Chicago. In the middle of winter no less. Are you trying to make up for lost time by dating anyone that's male with a pulse? I'm glad Rose and I told you not to commit yourself to Edward because obviously you aren't ready for that kind of commitment. Rebound relationships aren't good Bella. Maybe you'll get some hot, sweaty sex out of it, but that's it. How many guys have there been? Did you even know his name? You've always thought through your decisions; you've never been impulsive. When you make a choice, you commit yourself to it completely. Throwing yourself at random men isn't you Bella. Are you trying to get back at Carlisle somehow?" Alice was practically yelling at me and we were getting a lot of stares from the others in the lobby.

I glared down at my best friend and crossed my arms across my chest. "Alice Whitlock! You're the best litigator in the city; you come in this tiny, unassuming package and steamroll over everyone you go up against. But right now, you're forgetting the first rule you ever learned…the one that saved our asses when we were children and our parents would accuse us of something. Innocent until _proven_ guilty—you need to gather all of your facts first and then make your accusations. You and Rose have been telling me that I need to date to figure out what I want and to see if I really want to be with Edward.

Do you want to know what you just witnessed Alice? Before the best date of my life last week with Edward, I set up a blind date through a dating website. I knew nothing about him other than that according to the website and a few messages we sent to one another we were a perfect match. I completely forgot about the date until this morning. I've fallen in love with Edward and I came to the café to gently let down the man I had arranged to meet. I wrote him a letter that the waitress delivered to him. He had written me a letter also; and they both practically said the same thing, that we had each fallen in love with someone else and wished the other the best of luck. Imagine my surprise when the man sat down in front of me. It was Edward, Alice. He's the man I've fallen in love with, he was my perfect match blind date, he was the man you saw me kissing, and he's the only one I am dating right now.

Jake canceled on me, much to my relief, because he too has met someone. I don't want to see anyone else. Dating him is not a decision I made on whim; Edward is not a rebound. And my relationship with him has absolutely nothing to do with Carlisle. Carlisle is my past and Edward is my present and my future. You can either be happy for me and support my new relationship, or you can choose not to. But if you choose not to support me, I don't want to hear a negative word about my life; because it is _my_ life Alice," I seethed at her. I had managed to keep my voice low enough that the other people in the lobby had moved on from witnessing our exchange.

Alice stood completely still in front of me. Her jaw had dropped open and her eyes were wide. The look on Alice's face told me that she knew she had made a mistake and that she was in shock. "We support you. What you just said proves that you know what you want and we're just meddling. We want you to be happy, Bella. And I can already see how happy Edward makes you. You're passionate about him in ways that you never were with Carlisle. Every time you say his name, even if it's in the middle of reaming out Alice, your face lights up. You really are in love," Rosalie said from my left. I hadn't realized that she had arrived in the lobby, probably right after Alice, and had heard everything. Alice was still frozen in front of me. I continued to start at her and her eyes filled with tears as she finally thawed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "of course we support you. I didn't mean to jump all over you like that; I'm just trying to protect you. I don't want you to get hurt again and I was worried that was going to happen. I'm sorry."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. I gestured to Rosalie and she joined us. I kissed both of their foreheads and took a step back. "Thank you both. Edward and I know everything is happening fast; but it works for us. We've known each other for years, we're good for one another, and we both want the same things," I told them.

"Alright, that's enough emotional crap for the day. Let's go upstairs and take care of business so you can get to work on time. Carlisle apparently arranged a payment plan with the court for what he owes you and the first check was delivered today. We have some paperwork for you to fill out so that future checks can be direct deposited," Rosalie said with a wink. We all went upstairs and within ten minutes, I was walking to my car so I could make a stop at my bank before I went to work. Even after a stressful start to my day, everything had turned out for the best and I was looking forward to the future.

* * *

A/N: So most of you had some really strong opinions against a Bella/Jake/Edward triangle—I loved the passionate response! I guess I did something right to get a reaction! I'm sure some of you will have some problems with Bella moving on to Edward so soon after her divorce. Stephenie Meyer created a Bella that fell in love with Edward quickly. My Bella has known Edward on some level, (acquaintance, friend, colleague) for even longer than she knew Carlisle. Edward will not be a rebound relationship. For the most part, the drama portion of this story is finished!

I love hearing from you and love getting feedback—it helps me write a better story for you! Once again, in order to help you review I will give you a multiple choice survey and all you have to do is type the letter you like best in the box below (yes you can pick more than one)!

My favorite part was:

A) None of it: Bella should have called off the divorce and given poor Carlisle another chance.

B) Eric Yorkie stuttering in fear of Alice and Rosalie.

C) Cherry Garcia's definitive disposal.

D) "What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?"

E) JR1234 and Bellissimo_Cigno's cute meet.

F) Bella standing up for herself against Alice.

G) None of it: Bella should give up on relationships and get a few cats.

H) (Tell me your favorite part!)

Thank you all so much!


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